


Church of Blood

by Serriya (Keolah)



Series: Toreador's Childer [2]
Category: Freelancer, Vampire: The Masquerade
Genre: Alternate Universe, Crossover, F/M, Religion, Vampires
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2006-07-27
Updated: 2006-07-30
Packaged: 2017-12-10 03:03:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 24,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/781023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keolah/pseuds/Serriya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An old vampire meets a wanderer of worlds, and finds her intriguing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Death's Embrace

A shadow crossed the pale blue flicker that was the mockery of a sun over Torn Elkandu. Then there's some flashing light and some popping sounds and sparks as something seems to fly directly _through_ it. A metallic fighter-sized spaceship flew down toward the city, trailing streaks of blue fire behind it. The name "Icarus" was painted in red and orange letters across the side.

The ship flew in a circumference down Infinity's Road, flying low and causing a few of the taller species to duck as she went by.

An interesting place, really, and so many new interesting things to see. There was a great deal of potential that Alistair had already conceived in the differences between worlds which had been revealed to him thus far. He supposed he might leave Setti alive a while longer yet. After all, it was quite intriguing to find a place where the sun didn't pose the difficulties that it did back home, and the Nexus clearly listed others!

The commotion drew his attention, particularly as he was _on_ the road in question as the ship passed nearby overhead, but the self-assurance which had stood him in good stead for the long years past brought little more than a flicker of unease. A thin smile curved his lips at the distress it seemed to cause the beings around him, though.

After another lap, the spaceship slowed and landed in a nearby square, causing no end of commotion because spaceships weren't supposed to land in the squares, there was a perfectly good landing platform for that. The ship was elegant and smooth, done up in a chrome silvery color with red and orange markings on it.

Alistair threw mental dice, then shrugged indifferently and walked calmly toward the square that the ship had landed in. It was, if nothing else, a novelty in the short term, and the design of the craft was at least aesthetically appealing.

The hatch opened, and a woman climbed out, clad all in black leather tights, with a red Japanese symbol on her left breast. She was around 5'6 tall, and had dark reddish-brown hair. A pair of blasters hung at her belt.

Pausing at the edge of the square, Alistair scanned the scene as a whole, bringing the elements of the setting and the unusual aspects added to it together and testing them against an ephemeral ideal. Not at all unpleasing, he determined, the contrast of the pilot's dark appearance working well against the brighter textures...

He smiled thinly and walked toward her, clapping idly. "Delightful performance, my dear."

The woman gave a bit of a bow, laughing lightly. "Dancing on the edge of death," she replied with a grin. "I must say this place is most _interesting_. Usually attempting to fly through the sun is a bit more painful and fatal than that. Name's Vanessa Jordan."

"Alistair Craulen, at your service," he replied, sweeping a bow that seemed natural to the neatly dressed man.

He stood no taller than she, perhaps a little shorter in fact, but there was something about him that gave the illusion of standing above all those around him. Dark hair and eyes struck a stark contrast with the pale, aquiline features, and the sardonic smile added another odd note to the composition.

"And why would you seek something quite so foolhardy?" he asked bemusedly. "Didn't the Greeks show all too well the dangers inherent in such a passage, by your craft's own namesake in fact?"

Vanessa chuckled softly. "I am a Dancer on the Edge of Death. It's religion, it's philosophy, it's a way of life. Death Dancers believe that they can attain 'enlightenment' by coming as close to death as possible without dying. As frequently as possible. I don't know about enlightening, but it's certainly quite the rush."

"How... droll," Alistair replied, eyes glittering with suppressed amusement. "And what of those who step beyond those gates, yet walk still among the pale reflections which are the bounds of mortality? Does your mythos, your creed, speak of such as they?"

Vanessa seemed puzzled. "What are you talking about?"

"Merely whimsy and nothing more," Alistair replied airily, grinning. "Think nothing of it. So tell me, what brings you to this drab and dull corner of the universe? Surely not the simple act of passing through the pale star above, nor scattering the mindless masses in their indignation."

Vanessa shrugged. "I've been hopping from universe to universe for around fifty years now, according to my ship's chronometer. There's quite a lot of interesting things to see beyond my limited, restrictive galaxy."

"Indeed?" Alistair replied with a trace of curiosity, then his voice took on a compelling edge as he gestured back along the road. "Why don't you walk with me a while and tell me of it? I've found a great many things of interest to me in recent nights, I would learn more of it." Only the barest whisper of the power he could place into his oration, but finesse was ever more delicious when pondering the idea of a jest.

"Certainly," she said, reaching over to seal up her ship briefly so that nobody flew off with it, and went to head along with him.

Alistair waited, smiling with a hint of anticipation and a trace of the secretive, then set off at a casual stroll with his new companion. "Tell me of this creed of yours, if you will," he prompted, "The idea of it... amuses me."

Vanessa walked along the road with him. "The Death Dancers were founded around, oh, a thousand years ago, by a group of Rabbits who sought to defy their fearful history. No longer to run and hide, to cower in fear..."

"An auspicious beginning," Alistair commented, drawing an inevitable comparison to his own kind and their countless years spent scurrying from haven to haven to avoid the wrath of the far more numerous peasantry. Only in recent times had that changed, though not necessarily for the better, as the kine began to accept _them_... the idea was intolerable, even though the results were beneficial.

"Naturally this led to Death Dancers doing insanely dangerous and reckless things in order to 'prove' their fearlessness and courage," she said. "This generally results in them either not living long, or ending up very good at what they do."

"Darwin refined," Alistair chuckled faintly, steering their course to bring them ultimately near the gardens he had encountered and considered quite... secluded overall. "Skill is an attribute to be pursued," he continued, "If not perhaps to the lengths suggested in your tale. Success and victory, now those are the crucial elements, and risk is invariably entailed, yet a skillful man chooses the dangers wisely."

Vanessa nodded in agreement. "Some Death Dancers take it to nearly suicidal levels.. but they're the ones who don't survive very long. The smart ones, of course, know just what stupid, dangerous things they think they can get away with. It isn't cowardice to flee from a battle you have no chance of winning."

"A most enlightened approach," Alistair mused. "So far as any might be considered which evolved from the mind of man. What purpose does this august body purport to serve, then?"

"Don't know what might've happened since I left, but for the last several hundred years since before then, they were working with the Rebellion to fight against the Karzan Empire. But the Usurper is an extremely strong psychic..."

"Mm, rebels," Alistair replied, voice dripping with distaste. "There's always a rabble seeking to lift themselves beyond their means, it hardly serves you well to aid a cause that's not your own. Truly now, what real benefit comes of it? Will _you_ be set to rule, or will the sheep battle amongst themselves when the throne is emptied, that they might assume the place of high profile target? Absurdity."

"I didn't leave for no reason," Vanessa replied. "The damned rebels kept fighting amongst themselves nearly as much as they fought against the Empire. If they'd ever actually bothered working together they could have won the war centuries ago. I got pretty sick of it all, really."

"How... intriguing," Alistair replied, turning a look of faintly surprised approval to her. "Certainly wise beyond your years, then. A war..." He made a dismissive, disgusted gesture. "Any fool can start or end one, but it takes a great deal more skill and intellect to work to another purpose without detection, or even suspicion."

"I'm eighty-three," Vanessa said. Although in human terms she didn't look a day over twenty-one. "The Usurper had declared all Death Dancers to be exiled from the Empire. But that damned Rebellion? There were all these different groups, with their own aims and agenda, who kept squabbling... The Cybions didn't like the Euphorians, the Glyphans just sat around all the time writing bad poetry and making bad music, and nobody liked the Urians."

"Sounds delightfully disordered," Alistair replied dryly. "Although such anarchy does indeed provide a great deal of potential, turning them one against the other, and in so doing gain your own goal in the process... whichever prize you sought in the doing." How... interesting. This encounter was proving intriguing on more than one level.

"One might certainly try," Vanessa said with a shrug. "But, I haven't been there in fifty years. Maybe they finally managed to work together long enough to win the war. Maybe the Rebellion spontaneously combusted. I don't know. Not sure if I really care all that much anymore, anyway."

"What do you seek for yourself, what ends do you pursue?" Alistair asked. "If the concept of gain through the deft manipulation of the masses holds no appeal, what achievements do you seek? Surely there is more than simply chasing the next adrenaline euphoria."

"Not really, no," Vanessa said. "I seek for myself. Not for what anyone else thinks I ought to do. For what _I_ want to do. But no Death Dancer is really complete without a cause. They just end up wandering lost and doing stupid, pointless things..."

All things came down to that, in the end, after millennia of boredom with any other game that might be played and exhausting any other entertainment. That was simply the way of things, Alistair chuckled inwardly, and it would be a delightful thing indeed to impress that reality over time...

"Mm," he murmured. "You have at least come to understand the smaller part of truth, that there is nothing which holds sway beyond self."

Vanessa nodded slightly, looking absently to their surroundings. Many of the flowers in the gardens were exotic to the point of seeming unnatural sometimes. "And they called me a failure for it. They said I was too wild and independent. Because I wouldn't listen to what stupid things the damned Cybions wanted to me to do." She shook her head slowly.

"Is it failure to realize self?" Alistair mused. "To deny the control of the universe over one's own destiny? I think not. Therein lies the greatest truth, in fact, as even Caine cast the demands of an uncaring God back to the heavens and denied the Fates any sway. It is an interesting problem, to balance at the precipice of independent thought while recognizing the powers of those who might destroy you."

"I don't think so," Vanessa said. "I don't care what they think of me. I don't care if they created me or not. I owe them nothing. A Death Dancer's loyalty is only given by choice."

The question would be whether to disabuse her of that notion or to give it free rein, the danger of the latter would seem far less in the long run and would there be any real benefit to the former other than a bit of sadistic enjoyment? Decisions, decisions.

"And yet you conform to an ideal," Alistair said. "That seems somehow contradictory, even to one that would appear so free-wheeling as these Dancers on the Edge of Death."

"By choice," she said. "I made my choice, and I am what I am, and I could no sooner change that than I could keep the sun from rising."

"Oh please, don't be so melodramatic," Alistair rolled his eyes. "A decision no more defines what you are than the restrictions placed on you by others, and though it may define _who_ you are for some period of time that is something which is subject to change whether by further choice or imposition of the world around you. There are few things which cannot be changed." Try and dispute it, child, he murmured inwardly.

Vanessa shrugged a bit and said, "Well, yeah. Whatever. Being a Death Dancer is an entirely different viewpoint than what most people look at. It would take something fairly extreme to make me afraid of death, I'd think."

"Would it?" Alistair looked at her, smiling in faint amusement. "Do you truly believe so? And were I to reveal the very nature of that within you that would do anything to avoid it? Oh, do not doubt that it rests within the depths of your mind and soul, and would do _anything_ to avoid that very real termination of existence."

Vanessa looked at him calmly, defiantly, but raising an eyebrow curiously. "What are you talking about? What of it?"

Alistair stopped and turned to face her, folding his arms as a mildly mocking expression lit on her. "You speak of this organization as though it defies the very concept, but it is a facade, a fallacy. Defiance of death is a mouse staring a lion down, and equally effective, and claiming to have _no_ fear of that Beast? Utter foolishness and self-deception!"

Vanessa thought it over for a moment and said, "Perhaps. It all boils down, really, to doing what is needed no matter how dangerous it is, not to be suicidal about it."

"Ahhh, so now you qualify the fearless nature?" Alistair replied. "Is your immersion in this..." he gestured to her, indicating the 'uniform', "image so complete that you're unable to truly define what is and is not demanded of it, and fall prey to the slightest challenge to its nature? One wonders whether this denial of death has given you strength, or merely provided another false shield of faith to hide behind."

"I would not do it if I did not really believe it," Vanessa said, her voice faltering for a moment. "And I understand what is demanded of it. Pointless suicide is not."

"Do you truly believe in it? I wonder," Alistair looked at her thoughtfully, tapping a fingertip to his lips as he smiled faintly. "I find myself more than half tempted to provide you the opportunity to prove it, beyond the very edge of the faith you seem to place in it."

"I do believe it," Vanessa said, giving him something of a 'bring it' look. A Death Dancer did not back down from a challenge.

"Oh do be wary child," Alistair crooned, a glimmer of dark amusement and a stirring hunger rising in his gaze. "Do you truly intend to challenge what is simple fact? Is your belief so strong that it may survive the hammering of the soul in the sun's furnace, burning and crisping it beyond redemption and turned ever to the void? Or is the mettle brittle and fractured, ready to shatter at the faintest hint of the Beast within..."

Vanessa looked at him stoically. "I would not have been a Death Dancer so long as I have if I were weak," she replied. "Most don't make it a week after they find out what it really means. Some of those even survive that to run away."

Alistair laughed lightly, moving to walk slowly around and turning a sharp, appraising glance to her. "Oh yes," he said softly, "I do think the experiment will be delightfully entertaining." He stopped before her and crooked a finger, a flicker of power reaching out to caress and compel as he said, "Come then, child, and learn the truth of it."

Vanessa approached warily, wondering just what he has in mind, but never one to back down from a challenge.

Alistair reached to grab her by the arms, "Be still!" he commanded, "You sought the answer, the realization of the Beast?" He grinned broadly, allowing his fangs to extend, and murmured, "You have found it."

Vanessa was still and looked at him, wondering what was going on here. Vampires didn't exist, that was just a myth... wasn't it?

Alistair drew her close, head descending to whisper, "You will learn the nature of fear, my child, but know that your end is not this day. A most interesting gift you will awaken to..."

Fangs dipped to her neck, then a flash of pain as they pierced and brought a welling of blood. The Kiss was not an unpleasant thing, though, and even as he drew the lifeblood from her veins she experienced a soul-deep euphoria and ecstasy...

At least until the end, when a flutter of panic battered at the dimming light of consciousness and was stilled with the final beating of her heart. From a great distance, a voice whispered, "Now awaken, childe..." and warmth flew at her lips and trickled down her throat, spreading outward as unnatural vitality returned to her body with the vitae dripped from the slash at his wrist.

Vanessa opened her eyes and looked at him, slowly realizing what had happened. She'd certainly read enough bad literature to figure that out, but this couldn't really be happening, could it? But she'd seen stranger things in her time, and wasn't about to think herself delusional.

Somewhere along the way she ended up laying on the ground and cradled at the other vampire's chest with his wrist at her lips. Alistair left the source of vitae there a moment longer, giving her a bit more strength to face the new way of the world, then drew the wrist away and absently licked the fang-torn wounds closed.

"Now you shall see," he said softly, meeting her eyes firmly with his own. "There is a great deal you will need learn." he continued. "Mere survival will prove an interesting enough challenge, I think, and your newly awakened companion within shall doubtless prove of vast interest in tempering your beliefs." He chuckled coldly.

Vanessa looked into his eyes quietly, a million thoughts running through her head as she tried to absorb what he was saying. This all sounded like something out of a bad horror novel, she thought. But damned if she was going to let _that_ bother her. "As you say," she murmured stubbornly.

"Not ready yet to believe?" Alistair smirked and rose, drawing her with him and holding her steady until she was ready on her own. "I would advise against testing the hypothesis beneath the light of a normal sun, you would find the experience greatly unpleasant..." He chuckled with faint mockery. "Though it would introduce you to the Beast quite quickly as you scurried for sanctuary."

"I'll believe you," she murmured. "I'm not suicidal. I'll also refrain from saying something silly like 'vampires don't exist' at this point too."

"Oh, there's so much more to it than mere belief in existence," Alistair replied. "Which you will begin to understand with the fullness of time. By the law of Caine, I am compelled to inform you of the Traditions, but," he grinned, "My grandsire's commands don't mean a great deal here, so we'll dispense with that."

She looked to him in puzzlement. "What are you talking about?"

Alistair looked thoughtfully around, then tipped his head in a shrug. "Not perhaps the height of luxury which might otherwise be appropriate to the event, but it is pleasant enough. Come, childe, walk with me a while longer and learn of what I speak." He extended a hand in invitation.

Vanessa gave a nod and went to walk with him quietly for the moment.

"Caine was the first of us," Alistair said, turning to stroll casually, hands clasped behind his back. "Yet when we of the fourth rose to slay our Sires, he fled back into the wastes to which he had been cursed to wander eternally and has been glimpsed only rarely since. That origin lays its roots in another world entirely, and his laws do not extend here any more than the ludicrous Articles forced by the lupines."

"What world is that?" Vanessa wondered. She'd seen a good many worlds, galaxies, universes in her wanderings the past few decades, but she could not recall having encountered vampires on any of them.

"I will show you, if you wish," Alistair replied. "Though it may be no more to your liking than mine, considering your distaste for the foolish rebellion and the endless futility. It is of little real consequence, in truth, as the powers and dangers of your blood will follow wherever you may go and hold no greater or lesser sway in any domain."

Vanessa gave a bit of a shrug. "As you say. It matters little enough to me."

"So quickly moved to apathy?" Alistair looked over at her, amused. "I think that will fail soon enough once you truly realize and accept what has been given to you, or its reality is forced on you by sunlight, fire, or the thirst for the precious draught of life from another's veins. You claimed no fear of death, yet you will be intimately acquainted with the Beast which will prove the fallacy of _that_."

She glanced at him and shook her head. "No, I'm not apathetic. And I accept that..." she said quietly.

Alistair held his attention on her a moment longer, then nodded and gazed absently back to the path. "Much of myth is only that and nothing more," he said, "Yet there is indeed danger in daylight and fire, decapitation, and a stake driven through your heart will place you in torpor, a semi-conscious state which will hold you until that stake may be removed, or," he smiled faintly, "You learn the means to do so yourself."

Vanessa nodded thoughtfully as she listened. She'd never exactly considered that something like this might end up happening to her. She was hardly a Goth Glyphan who sat around writing bad emo poetry after all. Yet her she was anyway. She'd be damned if she was about to utter a word of complaint, though.

"There are other dangers, of course," Alistair remarked offhandedly, "But they are no more or less than the faceless masses must chance time and again, save for one additional warning... drink not the blood of another Kindred. Once may you dismiss, twice will you feel it begin to hold you, and thrice will you become the thrall of another." He smirked thinly. "Already have you received my own vitae... Twice more and you would find yourself compelled to do whatever might please me, your mind and soul turned to my whim. Do not force me to it, I have no real interest in doing so as I think your own realizations of your state will prove far more entertaining."

Vanessa didn't particularly like the sound of that. She valued her own free will far too much to allow that. She made a bit of a face and nodded. "Yes, I'd prefer not," she commented.

"There is an exception of course, as there always is in life," Alistair chuckled unpleasantly. "For dead men may hold no sway, whether you slay them cleanly or drink their vitae to the dregs and accept a tithe of their soul in the doing." He glanced at her, smirking. "By all means, seek to strengthen your blood as once I did, that would prove equally amusing to me."

Vanessa looked at him quietly, trying to analyze what he was saying in terms she could comprehend. For all their apparent obsession with death, Death Dancers didn't often meditate on such metaphysical things as souls. But she could figure out what he means well enough.

"A wise regent, the keeper of the blood bond," Alistair went on, "Will maintain a standing with the thrall which will continue to give them power without allowing resentment to linger and grow. Only the strongest hatreds can set aside the 'love' created by the bond to slay their master, and only death or separation for a year and a day may break it once firmly held. It is a remarkable tool to consider in controlling others, use it wisely."

Vanessa listened to what he said with some interest, mulling it over thoughtfully and nodding slightly. Absently she wondered how this entire sunlight thing would affect space travel and such.

"Those are the main dangers which are newly found," Alistair said, "Be certain to find a haven to reside in during the day, and maintain your blood pool lest you risk the danger of a mindless feeding frenzy. With the depth of your pool," he smirked, "you may easily drain eight to ten people if you allow it to grow too low. Beware the kine, for your very nature will draw those who hunt us to you now."

"I'll keep that in mind," Vanessa said thoughtfully, making a bit of a face as she thought on the idea of vampire hunters and the bad TV that the idea had spawned.

"Have I provided a sufficiency of new dangers to ponder?" Alistair asked, glancing over again with genuine humor. "There is more than enough to balance the disadvantages, believe me."

"Like what?" Vanessa asked, raising an eyebrow curiously.

Alistair smiled, then reappeared on the other side and offered her a freshly picked flower from a nearby bed. She could see a _faint_ blur of motion as he passed along several points, but even to Kindred senses it was difficult to detect.

"A mere token, you may be sure," he said, "Celerity, the ability to manipulate the interstices of time itself and turn it to your whim, and one which is native to the blood now in your veins."

Vanessa took the flower absently and looked at it, then at him thoughtfully. _That_ definitely interested her. Even her grandmother couldn't quite manage something like what she'd just seen. "Mm, nice."

"The other fields which are your right are more involved," Alistair said, returning to the casual stroll. "Presence deals with a variety of abilities which allow you to influence the emotions of others, to evoke specific reactions or a more general awe. Auspex delves into the realm of the mind and perception, from heightening your own senses to slaying another from a great distance by thought alone."

Vanessa nodded as she listened, certainly not disinterested. That was all familiar enough to her from what the psychics back at home could do, after all. "That's certainly intriguing. So you say I could do things like that?"

"That and more," Alistair replied. "By your blood alone may you do the simplest of them already, once you recognize the means to access the power. You will find yourself not quite so limited as others would expect in darker places."

He smirked, his own research having long ago moved a great leap forward beyond the accepted disciplines, and Setti's information as well as what had been found here... Oh yes, a great many things had become far clearer, confirming one theory after another.

Vanessa was grinning, certainly interested. She remembered how some of her sisters had displayed psychic abilities of a similar nature, but she had never managed with it. Perhaps another reason that they had called her a failure. She didn't even have their normal resistance to external telepathy, either. She never realized why, that they had gone a bit too far to the human side to counterbalance other issues that had arisen.

Alistair chuckled lightly in answer to the grin. "Oh, it will require a great deal of focus and study, yet your blood will provide a great deal of power if you've the will to use it. Consider it a challenge beyond what you already accepted. I will provide some measure of training, as much as you might seek before turning back to your test... there are responsibilities to one's childer, after all."

Vanessa nodded. "Then I shall take that challenge, and hope that I do not disappoint," she said with a grin. "And I would be glad for whatever training you might be willing to give me."

"Hmm," Alistair halted, considering, then smiled thinly. "Then let us return to your craft and make for your home space to see what has transpired in passing, the journey shall provide an excellent opportunity to expand upon what you are capable of at this moment... and the potentials that you may yet reach."

Vanessa gave a nod, not questioning that suggestion, and turned to head back toward Frost's Square where she had parked so precipitously. She might not have known what she was in for when she landed here today, but damned if she could find cause to complain about it nonetheless.


	2. Cold Homecoming

Vanessa's ship, although ahead of its time, wasn't quite equipped with some of the neat new gizmos that had been come up with while she was gone. Vanessa, though, while one might rightly call her a bit arrogant, proved to be rather intelligent and quick to learn. Furthermore, she actually showed him some amount of respect -- rare enough for a Death Dancer, never mind _this_ one.

Not really a surprising turn to find the woman to be intelligent, she had certainly come to terms with the realities of the situation quickly enough when it had been thrust upon her. Alistair found it highly amusing, and willingly engaged in whatever discourse she might wish and teaches as she seemed ready and able to assimilate. A most satisfying experiment to this point, though not yet tested nearly well enough.

He did not, however, seek to indoctrinate or otherwise alter her world view to mold more to his own, at least not just yet. Far more entertaining to arrange matters that she might come to the proper conclusions in her own time and see the folly of previous assumptions. There was nothing he enjoyed more than a light social experiment!

After several days of travel, the ship exited the Ethereal and came into the Epsilon system. The station was still there, and Vanessa was a little surprised when a voice immediately came over the comm with requesting her identity.

"Vanessa Jordan of the Dancers on the Edge of Death," she replied promptly.

The comm replied, "You're cleared for landing in Docking Bay J."

"Mmm, not quite as you anticipated?" he asked, catching a flicker of her surprise.

"Last time I was here, I was practically at the docking bay before anyone even bothered to notice I was here," Vanessa commented dryly as she brought the ship in for a landing. "Clearly they're more on-the-ball of late."

"That would seem to be indicative of a significant change of one degree or another," Alistair remarked. "It is hardly human nature to step lively unless beneath the lash of another. Perhaps new command upon the station itself?"

"Perhaps," she commented.

She docked the ship and climbed out and took a glance around. There were uniformed, armed guards around the exits to the docking bay. And apparently, word traveled faster than lightspeed aboard this station, and one woman dressed as Vanessa was and bearing a distinct family resemblance was approaching from the lift.

Alistair debarked upon coming to a rest, content to examine the surroundings and make note of the industry that certainly seems more... robust than might be suggested by the presence of a rebellion. Interesting. He turned a mildly amused eye to the approaching uniform, certainly not missing the familial resemblance... though mildly puzzled at the oddities presented in the other's aura.

"Well, well," Kalli said as she came close. "Look who's back from the dead. If it isn't Vanessa Jordan." Vanessa just made a broad smirk at that assessment. Kalli glanced to Alistair and said, "And who might you be?"

"Merely a fellow traveler and seeker, madam," he replied and tilted his head in polite greeting. "I am known as Alistair Craulen, and I am at your service."

"I'm Kalli May. Empress's Own. Dancers on the Edge of Death," Kalli said. "And Vanessa's grandmother," she added with a smirk. Not that she really _looked_ like she could be more than a few years older than Vanessa.

"Then truly a pleasure," Alistair replied smoothly, his answering smile warmly sincere. "I may only hope that the rest of your line is equally charming and delightful company as dear Vanessa has been since Torn Elkandu."

Clearly not wholly human, the age alone would suggest that and explain the peculiarities he'd noted, but really was of little concern to him other than another factor to the equation.

Kalli tried to restrain herself from laughing but failed, and seemed to find that quite the funny joke. "Charming... and... delightful? Oh, you're a funny one. Good joke." She laughed some more. Vanessa smirked even more.

"Oh, I fear I must disagree," Alistair replied. "It has been a most engaging interval, quite refreshing really after the dull and drab masses of home. But please, I'm sure you two have a great deal to catch up on." He smirked, knowing there was quite a bit that Vanessa might say even though he'd quietly suggested a careful quiet in the matter. "I should keep you no longer in such mundane and idle chatter."

Kalli said, "No, no, don't let me keep you, I was just stopping by on the way to checking out some rumor of Urian activity in the Transylvania system." She turned to Vanessa. "Oh, if you wanted to catch up with your sisters, Felicia's on planet Tibet, Emily's on Tijuana, Jenna's on the station here, hmm, Marian's dead, the Empire executed her while you were gone, but Zillah's here too, I don't think you've met her yet."

Quite the extensive and active family, Alistair mused silently, one must wonder if all were quite so... interesting as the two discovered thus far. He drew another likely conclusion from Kalli's introduction, suspecting that the local space was unlikely to possess more than one 'Empire' or 'Empress' of any note, that things had indeed changed a great deal in the time since Vanessa had last visited this universe. Interesting.

"Far be it from me to disrupt or delay the duties incumbent as one of the 'Empress' Own'," he said lightly and nods to her once more.

"Oh, one more thing," Kalli said, "You may be interested to note that the Cybions responsible for abusing you are dead now by my own hand. And I'll do the same to anyone who seeks to abuse my granddaughters."

She seemed to be saying this more to Alistair, as a warning. Kalli nodded to them and headed for her ship. Alistair smiled thinly in amusement at the oblique warning, but merely watched the woman depart through thoughtful, hooded eyes.

"How delightful," he murmured, then shook his head faintly and turned his attention back to Vanessa, still mildly amused. "A family reunion and a veiled warning all in a matter of mere minutes upon arrival, this certainly looks to be a most interesting day indeed."

The threat didn't bother him, really, for a number of different reasons that he didn't bother to enumerate. He merely dismissed it idly.

"Definitely sounds like there's been some changes since I was last here," Vanessa observed. "And if there's an Empress again... Hm. Interesting."

She headed over toward the nearest data terminal for a quick rundown on what had happened since she left.

"Indeed," Alistair agreed, still bubbling with quiet amusement at the encounter, and casually followed after to examine the material as well. A stable, or at least mostly, Empire, a most interesting venue to continue the experiment and see to what lengths it might go before his soul might be shrivelled by the lady's disapproval. Oh the mortal terror! He chuckled quietly, the source not outwardly apparent.

Vanessa blinked a bit at the readout. "Well. It appears things are more complicated than I might have surmised," she commented. "The Rebellion tried to ally themselves with some nutcases from another universe calling themselves 'Chaos'. Kalli apparently killed the Emperor no less than four times. Then the Chaos fleets got destroyed by an alliance of Death Dancers and El'dari..." Vanessa was fairly well baffling over half of this.

"What tangled webs we weave," Alistair murmured idly, scanning the information thoughtfully and altering bits of intention based on the newly updated information. "It would seem a place most ripe for a pursuit of most interesting goals, would you not agree?"

Vanessa nodded absently and said, "There's also some mention here about rumor of the gods having been destroyed, priests going mad overnight, and Sheniro declaring himself the supreme god... that's absurd, though, everyone knows the gods don't really exist..."

"Just as everyone knows that vampires don't exist," Alistair quietly mocked her steadfast assumption. "Do not so readily dismiss what might be reality, childe, or you may find yourself unpleasantly surprised. There are far stranger things upon Heaven and Earth..."

"Yeesss, everyone knows vampires don't exist, and my ship was built at the Dracula Shipyard in the Transylvania system," she replied with a snicker. "But you have a point."

"One does need wonder how that young fool Stoker's ridiculously lurid tale became so popular." Alistair shook his head. "They would be greatly disappointed by the reality of Vlad Tepes, I fear. Indeed a ruthless individual, but to be so fascinated by a female as to go through all that trouble? I think not. He is, overall, far more reasonable than that. The tale did serve its purpose at one time, however."

Vanessa snickered softly. "Certainly sounds like I've missed quite a lot. Should prove interesting..." She stepped away from the terminal.

"And what thoughts does this altered perspective bring to mind, my dear?" Alistair asked dryly. "A return to the doldrums of serving the mindless masses? Or perhaps something more grandiose and inspiring?"

Vanessa gave a snort of amusement. "Serve the masses? Never. Not I," she said. "No, I've a lot to catch up on, apparently, and I don't doubt this terminal here doesn't have the full story, either."

"The free press rarely does," Alistair agreed. "They are, after all, sponsored by the very institutions which command the slavering hordes, and cater to those same small minds. Where then will you seek greater enlightenment?"

"Hmm, she said Jenna was aboard the station, maybe she could tell me something..." She checked the terminal briefly to locate her and headed for the lift.

"Perhaps," Alistair agreed reservedly. "Though perhaps even among those of your blood may be found something less than complete satisfaction in regards to alleviating a lack of information." He followed after her, continuing amiably, "Though perhaps that is unkind and mislaid, as your grandmother certainly seemed well-informed indeed." He chuckled.

"Oh, I don't doubt _she_ was right in the thick of things," Vanessa commented dryly. She stepped into the lift and waited for him to enter before pressing in buttons for the floor the computer had said Jenna was on. "And no surprise that Felicia's been out in the middle of nowhere on Tibet. She was always the 'white sheep' of the family, so to speak. Always trying to avoid trouble instead of, you know, getting into it, or causing it."

"That is not perhaps the most undesirable locale," Alistair countered as the lift departed. "Though again perhaps not the most interesting or productive use that your time may be placed toward. Addressing a complex skein of finely balanced maneuvers from a distance can be quite entertaining, in fact."

Vanessa exited the lift and headed down the corridor to the indicated room and pauses briefly in the doorway to look inside. She recognized Jenna, of course, and could guess at Zillah from the family resemblance, but she didn't recognize the humanoid wolf. Jenna certainly looked surprised to see her. Apparently she hadn't gotten the word Kalli had.

Sharra looked up as the two entered and her eyes narrowed almost instantly as her sensors registered their nature. Vampires were high on the list of things that were generally nasty to deal with back in her universe of origin, and she quietly slipped a hand beneath the table to free the short rifle from its holster at her thigh and lay it in her lap. Fire-based rounds were always a safe bet...

Alistair smiled in politely neutral greeting, recognizing the family resemblance in the two humans, and smoothly deflected a moment of surprise at the large canid... there were at least sufficient differences that it couldn't be classified immediately as a lupine, far too small for one thing.

"Good day," he remarked.

"Hello," Vanessa said in a friendly manner more or less, not noticing Sharra readying her gun.

Jenna said, "Vanessa!? We all thought you were dead! Where've you been?"

Sharra smiled in more or less friendly fashion and added in aside. "Oh, she and her friend aren't dead, they're something worse, far worse. Looking to make good on old acquaintance and family ties?" she asked, eyes narrowing on Vanessa.

Alistair's smile twisted to an amused grin, though it twitched faintly at the... unique attributes in the creature's aura, much of it was simply missing. How strange, and potentially dangerous.

Jenna turned to Sharra and said, "What do you mean?"

Vanessa quirked an eyebrow and looked to Sharra warily. Kalli might have recognized it and not cared, but she hadn't thought anyone else around here would recognize their nature, since there weren't exactly vampires crawling all over or anything.

"Vampires," Sharra nearly spat the word out in disgust, though her eyes never left off watching the two interlopers warily. "Maybe you know of them around here, or maybe they're just considered a myth, but they're real enough and as ugly as the old stories paint them." Different kinds of vampires, perhaps, but the variances were overall quite cosmetic in the overall scheme of things.

Jenna was inclined to reply with 'vampires don't exist', but she fairly well knew better now, especially after having visited the Elkandu Universe and run into a couple.

Vanessa said, "Hey, I'm not _ugly_."

Alistair chuckled lightly. "Please, do we truly look like soulless creatures of the night? Tsk." He shook his head mournfully. "Such a cold welcome for a sister, and after your grandmother had already welcomed her so openly. Have times truly come to this?"

Sharra's ears flattened and her muzzle wrinkled into a poor semblance of a smile. "Right, and I'm sure you've just come to catch up on old times, maybe sit down for a nice cup of tea, right? Don't make me laugh."

"Well, I don't know about the tea bit, never was especially fond of it," Vanessa said. "I've been away for fifty years, of course I was hoping to catch up a bit and find out what all I missed in the intervening time."

"I'm sure," Sharra replied sharply. "Just a harmless lark, hmm? Nothing at all to worry about. Right." She stood up, swinging the gun to her side as she stepped back to motion to the chair. "Then by all means, have a seat and chat about old times if they want you to, but I'm not about to trust you."

Vanessa opted to stay near the door, likewise not trusting Sharra to not start shooting at her or something.

Jenna cleared her throat, and said, "Well. That there is Sharra, and this is our sister, Zillah."

Zillah sat watching the two vampires curiously, holding a half-eaten peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

"Truly a pleasure to meet you," Alistair replied. "Please call me Alistair, I'd not wish formality from such delightful examples of my associate's kin. I do apologize for causing any trouble or flicker of unease, that was certainly not by intent."

Sharra, for her part, backed to lean casually against the nearest wall, arms folded and rifle held in the crook of her arm. She'd seen too much of what vampires were capable of, and she enabled several sub-systems to nullify some of their known abilities, waiting for the faintest hint that their intent was as she would expect.

Vanessa didn't relax. "From the looks of the terminal in the docking bay, it sounds like I've missed quite a lot," she commented.

Jenna said, "That's an understatement."

Zillah remembered she was eating and finished her sandwich and grabbed another.

"And I fear that I am woefully unfamiliar with this particular corner of reality," Alistair said. "The skeletal information provided by the computer was certainly interesting, but surely there's a great deal more to be found amidst the meat of matters than that. A most fascinating tale, undoubtedly, were one willing to share it..." he addrf the last on a lilting, suggesting note.

"Well, you can be glad you missed the entire Chaos mess," Jenna replied. "I don't know what ever possessed the rebels to decide that allying themselves with mad cultists and selling their souls to dark gods was a good idea. The Death Dancers opposed that from the start, of course, but the Euphorians, Urians, and Cybions were all over it. The fools." She snorted softly. "I'm not sorry to be rid of _that_ lot."

"It is rarely beneficial to ally with unknown powers," Alistair agreed readily, personally much preferring pacts with beings that he was quite aware of and possessed the foreknowledge of means by which to manipulate and turn them properly to a purpose. "But such foolish notions," he shrugged helplessly, "are ever the domain of man, to take a risk in favor of their cause of the moment without thought of the future."

"But thankfully, as you may have noticed, Chaos has been destroyed, and the rebellion is, for the most part, over. Oh, there's still a few idiots here and there who seem to not realize that the war is over, but for the most part, everything is stable, calm, peaceful. And I'd prefer it to remain that way for the moment," Jenna said with a warning note to her voice.

Alistair had little love for the dog as the second warning of the day was tossed his way, but displayed none of it as he smiled. "Perfectly understandable and commendable," he said, "Times of peace are difficult indeed to come by and should be treasured. All too soon will some nuisance or another rise to disturb it." Hmm, quiet indeed, how... useful.

"And if either of you decide to try to bite my neck, you'll get nothing but a mouthful of bolts," Jenna replied. "You wouldn't want to chip your fangs now would you?"

Zillah had consumed around five or six sandwiches now since their conversation began.

"I never bite without invitation." Alistair smirked. "It would be unseemly and beneath gentlemanly behavior, nor am I one to kiss and tell." He glanced at Zillah, eyes glittering with amusement as he disrupted that flow adroitly. "But there's a child present, hardly a suitable topic to pursue, hmm? Why not turn to something more interesting, such as the subject of this 'Empress'? Vanessa's remembrance of the late was not kind."

Zillah retorted, "I'm thirteen, I'm not a child."

Jenna smirked. "Well, the late Emperor is dead, multiple times over, and hopefully won't be coming back again. Talia Richards is the Empress now, and I'm sure you remember her, Vanessa."

Vanessa nodded, and said, "Naturally..."

Alistair would question his childe regarding this Talia Richards later, of that she could be sure, but he left it for the moment. "Quite resourceful, I'd assume," he remarked. "And possessing popular support to gain the throne in the wake of the massive undertaking that the destruction of this invader surely entailed from the mention of the factions involved."

"Oh, Kalli declared her the Empress," Jenna said. "Nobody was sure as _hell_ going to question our grandmother at that point. And then she managed to sneak out of the galaxy for a few months to avoid being promoted for a bit longer. Heh. But now she's Empress's Own like me. Came back with all kinds of freaky powers I'd never seen her able to use before..."

"Interesting," Alistair murmured thoughtfully, mentally shifting his assessment of the older woman to a slightly higher category in light of her apparent achievements and overall regard, perhaps worth further study in fact. Hmm. But to divert any obvious attention, he switched tracks, "And what of the reports of the gods? I'll admit to some skepticism, but it's not wise to dismiss such things out of hand."

Sharra snorted, already not liking how much information these two seemed to be fishing for, and wasn't about to confirm that she knew damn well that those reports were true. She'd met Sheniro personally, after all, and dealt with the two Jordans most responsible for the events.

"The Chaos Gods were destroyed, thankfully," Jenna said. "As were the Nameless Ones, but if you really want more information on _that_ , you'd be best off taking a trip to Tijuana. Emily and our father are there."

Alistair smiled thinly. "Oh, I don't profess any great interest in gods of any sort, nor any inclination to change that, it was merely an inquiry of something that was difficult to believe." He cast an amused glance at Vanessa, then returned his attention to Jenna. "What other changes have passed? It sounds as though a great deal of good fortune has befallen this place of late."

 _Too bad that's changed,_ Sharra thought grimly.

Jenna said, "The Empress's Own are active and quite capable and have put down quite a number of the residual issues after the end of the war. You cause any trouble, you'll have us knocking on your doorstep, fast."

"I see," Alistair replied with a brow quirked in quiet amusement. "I can assure you that the message has been made quite clear, dear lady, and there really is no need to belabor the point. However, as it would seem our arrival is disconcerting and apparently of distressing nature." He glanced to Vanessa. "Perhaps we should continue on our way, hmm?"

In fact, the reaction was much like the one that Vanessa had given, challenging him in its way, and he was quite of the mind at this point to explore venues of inconvenience for the heavy-handed 'Empress' Own'.

Jenna said, "Yes, you do that. Keep that in mind. I'm not going to come after you just for being 'living-impaired', but if you step one toe out of line, your ass is toast. Got that?"

Alistair smiled thinly, his eyes betraying the first hint of anger since his arrival. "Oh most assuredly do I understand, and will not forget. Believe me..." No, he'd not soon forget this day, nor the slights paid, and he was ever a firm believer in repaying ones debts... with interest. He turned his back on them, focusing his attention on Vanessa. "Shall we?"

Vanessa was perfectly happy to leave this room just now, and didn't seem especially happy with her sister at the moment either. She headed back out into the hallway and headed toward the lift, not turning her back on them until she had a wall between them.

Sharra waited for the two to depart, and only then did she return the weapon to its holster and return to the table, frowning deeply at the encounter. She didn't have any illusions that the two wouldn't be trouble soon enough, one of them being related to the Jordans or not... blood ties meant nothing to vampires, wherever she'd seen them, other than some twisted allure to use them.

Alistair waited until they're well away, then flicked an idle thought to Vanessa's mind, "You do realize, of course, that they're going to die." It was a statement, not a question, and she caught just the smallest hint of the simmering fury he was calmly controlling at the moment.

Vanessa got into the lift, fists clenched. "Do you get that sort of reaction often? I'd have expected better of my own _sister_."

"Calmly, calmly," Alistair soothed, diminishing his own anger and applying a gently cooling balm through the link. "Be wary, childe, you are within their domain at the moment and know not who may yet be listening. Do not allow their closed-mindedness to affect you greatly, only remember it as a debt to be repaid when the time is right. You will find many similarly small-minded, do you now wonder why I scoffed?"

Vanessa took heed to his words and relaxed her fists, reaching up to press a button to send the lift down again.

"You will find that reaction sadly common for the superstitious," Alistair replied. "The kine are ever suspicious and hateful of that which is set apart from them and possesses power which they may only dream of."

Vanessa absently wondered just how he was doing that, communicating directly to her mind. She mumbled, "For a minute there I was afraid they were going to start shooting at me..."

"I will teach you," Alistair tepped, catching the wondering question. "In fact I was remiss in not doing so sooner, for which I apologize." Strangely, he seemed so much more reasonable than the reaction she'd just gotten from _her own sister_. "You will need that and more should you truly wish to meet your full potential," he added.

Vanessa nodded gratefully.

When the door opened onto the docking bay, they were promptly assaulted by a smiling salesman with a hovering display case full of box-like contraptions. "Greetings there, sir, madam. Would you like to purchase a replicator? I shall even have it installed free of additional charge!"

Alistair smiled as opportunity knocked. "Why that _does_ sound tempting," he said, walking forward to touch the other man's shoulder and gesture toward the bay. "Would you be so kind as to join us and suggest the best possible options for our needs?" Traveling salesmen, a wonderful staple.

"Certainly, sir!" he said eagerly, carting along his hovercart of products with them. "The smaller ones here are intended primarily for food replication only, but the larger ones can handle simple tools and weapons as well. And I can guarantee these are high-quality replicators, you can almost not tell that the food isn't the real thing!"

"Very interesting," Alistair played along, considering the merchandise as useful to be certain but the man selling it to be far more of immediate purpose. "Please, come inside and tell us more," he gestured into the Icarus and led the way in.

"Certainly, certainly," he said, glancing about the place for the best spot to install it. Vanessa followed them inside close behind.

"Why don't you sit down and rest for a while?" Alistair suggested, his tone resonating with sudden power. "You look to have had a long and doubtless tiring day. A short nap will do wonders for you."

"Oh, sure, that sounds like a good idea, actually..." he murmured, sitting down and dozing off.

Vanessa gave an amused smirk at the display.

"And he shall never be missed, save perhaps in passing," Alistair says dryly. "Should it prove an issue, he may always be displayed for proof of continued existence. Maintaining a stable of blood dolls is often a wise course to follow."

Vanessa chuckled lightly. "Replicators, that certainly sounds something new since I was last here, too."

"Surely something to read idly whilst wending our way onward, hmm?" Alistair chuckled lightly, then ducked to scoop the man from the seat and turn back toward the hold. "Let's get everything secured and be on our way, I've little liking to remain within easy reach of our 'friends' back there overly long."

Vanessa agreed wholeheartedly. and powered up the ship for takeoff. The Icarus's hold was slightly smaller than that of a Darknova, and contained several stacks of some white cubes labeled "Space Rations". She had been wondering who was going to eat them now. How convenient.

Alistair secures the hovercart as well as possible in the hold, then found a place to leave the man for now. They'd need to acquire others for a sustainable diet, blood dolls didn't survive well if you fed from them _too_ frequently, but that should prove no great inconvenience in the proper place. He pondered that as he made his way forward again.

"Mmm, considering these changes..." Alistair mused. "Where do you think a sufficient mass of the rambling sheep might graze that a few here and there might not be missed? Our requirements may not be too great, overall, but surely more than a single blood doll can sustain."

Vanessa coughed softly. "Any Primo planet," she commented wryly as she piloted the ship out of the bay. "Kalli once commented that you could kill a billion Primos and nobody would notice. Knowing her, she very likely _had_..."

Alistair nodded thoughtfully and settled into a seat, crossing his legs. "Then we may begin there and see what can be found to be suitable to our needs. After that small detail is attended, then you will need continue your training and consider what you wish to do next."

In truth he was quite grateful for the rude reception, it had planted the seed nicely and it was simple enough to water and see that it grew...


	3. New Haven

Vanessa picked a random Primo planet that did not have multiple suns or anything similarly inconvenient, and set a course for the nearest jump hole to make the hops there.

"Primo is the dominant religion in the galaxy," she said. "They believe in 'life', so they... reproduce excessively. Eight children is the norm. Then they just send them off to the military to get killed stupidly. Wonder what they'll do with them all now that the war is over."

Vanessa had never had any particular remorse for killing Primos. She'd considered it fair population control since they refused to use any more sensible things like birth control.

"How delightful," Alistair remarked with clear amusement. "I should think they'll hardly notice our small in-roads on the population, then, and it should prove simplicity itself to locate a, hmmm, willing donor of a haven. A warehouse is so cliche, but it would serve nicely, as would any number of other facilities."

Vanessa piloted the ship through the jump hole to Balzac. When they emerged, the viewscreen proceeded to display Balzac's shining sun. "It's just a viewscreen," she mumbled. "Just a picture of what's outside." She seemed to be more reassuring herself than him, though.

Alistair smiled thinly, the image of the system's sun in such clarity a somewhat disturbing image to him as well but readily dismissed by his own well-controlled nature. "Don't fret, childe," he soothed gently. "Only the fell rays of direct sunlight pose any danger, these images, while frankly stunning in their beauty, are no threat. Rejoice that you have not lost that light entirely from your existence."

She clearly remained a little nervous as she turned the ship away from the sun toward the jump gate, even though through all logic it couldn't do anything to her, and clearly hadn't. She set on through toward the Tau system.

Alistair was still faintly amused, but decided to distract from her unease with the first threads of continued training. "I was indeed remiss in teaching you this," he tepped, "I had not fully considered the likelihood of our requiring such methods of communication so soon upon your embrace. Listen well and see if you cannot find the echo of my thoughts in your own mind, as I leave them open to you." To a point.

Traveling through the established jump gate network required little thought, as she tried to put the suns they passed out of mind and focused on what he was trying to teach her.

"It is not so difficult to contact a mind that is open and defenseless," Alistair continued. "And even ones which are wary and shielded may be breached with sufficient will behind them, but that is a lesson for another time. For now, listen to the power gifted by your blood, it sings to you as surely as the Beast snarls deeper within. In that song will you find the answers that you seek, as before."

"I see... I think," she tepped quietly. "I think I've got it?"

"Very good," Alistair praised, a flow of approval passing across as a subtext. "You have taken the first step, and the ones thereafter are merely refinements of the one before. It requires only concentration and practice, and you will doubtless want to learn the ways to _shield_ your mind as well... we are not the only ones here to possess that ability, and I doubt you would wish your sisters to gain free access, hmm?"

Vanessa quietly agreed. "Talia... she's a powerful telepath." She piloted the ship through Rath and came to the twin-sun system of Secundus and continued on through there.

"That is indeed good to know," Alistair replied, watching the systems passing calmly by. "One can never be certain that a time won't arise that will bring you in conflict with another, despite your best intentions." Best intentions... there were widely different definitions of that, apparently, as his own shielded ones are considerably less than virtuous.

"With the Emperor dead, she's probably the best human telepath in the galaxy now," Vanessa added.

She brought the ship through Primus. But for the sake of her own amusement, she brought them to Terra. Except for a few spots, Terra was completely covered by cities, there were even some floating in the oceans as well. But for the most part, the layout of the continents and such was quite recognizable.

"Oh, how droll," Alistair tepped, delighted approval meeting her choice as the unmistakable world below came fully into view. "You have a delicious sense of humor, dear girl. Yes, I think this will do _quite_ nicely."

Vanessa grinned as she brought them down toward the continent of North America. It was currently night on the east coast, although some last rays of sunlight still struck upon the west. The traffic controller cleared them for landing as they approached and she transmitted their intended destination.

There's no place like home, Alistair mused dryly, quite tickled to find the world in this universe and so heavily populated... not to mention vampires appearing to be mythical creatures here! Stupendous! Ahhh, what fertile ground it would prove to nurture the experiment, perhaps to see it turned against the already tarnished ties of blood. Quite, quite satisfying.

Vanessa landed the ship and stepped outside into the clear evening. A number of other ships adorned the landing area, and beyond it, the skyline was pierced by buildings of varying heights and shapes, with glittering windows lit like stars.

"Just like I remember it," she commented.

"Not quite as _I_ remember it," Alistair replied, stepping out and taking in the view of the new/familiar world and savoring it. "But it will assuredly do quite nicely."

As Vanessa headed off the landing platform, although the evening was active and lively, there was a distinct lack of other vampires around, nor shapeshifters. Of course, there was a fair number of non-shapeshifting Furries about intermixed among the humans.

Alistair smiled as the lack of other supernaturals registered and toyed idly with grandiose thoughts. "Hmm, have you ever wished a world of your own?" he asked her, only part in amusement.

Vanessa quirked an eyebrow at him curiously and chuckled softly. It had, however, been so long since she was here that she had no idea where anything was anymore. But all the staples were around the landing area, to be sure. Restaurants, gift shops open late, your general tourist traps.

"I don't think you understand just yet how simple it would be," Alistair tepped softly, a hint of wonder in it that there would be no other Kindred to interfere. "A few ghouls in positions of power, and no one the wiser for it. Of course anyone who might encounter this so-called 'Empress' would need be handled by more mundane means, but it is simplicity itself to find a soul's price."

Vanessa was intrigued by the idea, but tepped, "What of the Empress's Own, though? ... and I have to wonder just what sort of powers Kalli gained that Jenna mentioned..."

Alistair shrugged negligently. "Who are they to argue with the rightful ruling body of a self-governed world? So long as it remains peaceful and presumably pays its dues to this seat of power, what really would they care? Surely you don't believe that the 'greater good' is truly their motivation, remember their incessant prattle about 'peace and quiet'. Done subtly, they would have no cause or right to intervene."

"Hmmmmmmm..." Vanessa thought. She found him very convincing, and the idea was intriguing, to be sure.

"Think upon it," Alistair urged her with a grin. "You have all the time in the world now, and I will certainly aid you as is needed, whether directly or merely as counsel."

It all, of course, boiled down to the question of why. Which she shortly answered with a why not, it wasn't like she didn't think the politicians in charge to be incompetent fools in the first place for the most part, that was a given. Who could complain, when it would only improve the situation?

Alistair whistled a slow tune as they walked, feeling the internal questioning in his childe and the equal wearing away of her resolve. It really wasn't that difficult to plant the proper seeds of motivation, and it would prove an interesting trial indeed for her. If she did well, then it would reflect equally well on him, if she failed...

"Alright," she tepped after a few minutes. "Sounds good to me. Where do we start?"

"One step at a time," Alistair replied. "First will be to arrange for our immediate requirements, then gather information that will be vital to expanding the net and setting the proper bait."

Vanessa nodded, looking absently about the city. And personally, while she had nothing against Furries in general, she did not care to get hair in her teeth. She promptly winced as they passed close to a nightclub clearly in violation of noise ordinances playing cacophonous Glyphan music so loudly it could be heard across the street.

"Might I suggest that there are certain establishments in any city which tend to have a single proprietor or owner, and would be readily converted to our needs?" Alistair tepped. "Wherever the kine gather in numbers for entertainment, or avoid for fear of their safety, these are the places which will likely suit us best."

"Only if I can make them play something that does not make me desire to rip my eardrums out," Vanessa replied.

"You can command their very souls, if you wish," Alistair replied bemusedly, not finding the aural assault any worse than some of the other 'music' he'd heard by young Toreador in recent times... distressing though that might be.

"Hmm," Vanessa mused, debating on whether to locate ear plugs before setting foot inside as it would doubtless be worse inside. Finally she shrugged and went to check the place out thoughtfully.

Alistair followed her calmly, deliberately disabling the heightened awareness that came with Auspex as they neared the club. "At least we'll not need to shout to be hear each other," he tepped dryly.

A man at the door was looking over automated retinal scans of people coming in to make sure they weren't known criminals, under-aged, or whatnot. He didn't have any matches for Alistair, but what with the recent business with the war ending, he figures he was just from some remote planet, and since he didn't _look_ like he's twelve or something, he let him past.

Alistair was far too reserved to do anything quite so crude as drool at the packed masses of humanity, but it _has_ been a while since he'd fed well and had given Vanessa a goodly amount to sustain her in the interim so he was a tad 'peckish' as they entered. He _could_ take a bit here and there with no one noticing, Thaumaturgy (Or Blood Magic as the Elkandu seemed intent on calling it) did have its uses, but he refrained for the moment.

The place was packed with various people, many of them with dyed hair, wearing bizarre fashions many of which were far more revealing than their parents would approve of, gyrating in strange manners to the sounds of toilets flushing, roosters crowing, glass shattering, and other assorted sounds simultaneously that passed for "music".

Alistair made a low noise of disapproval, lost among the general din, and made his way toward what might pass for a bar here. "Provided the proprietor is available, I guarantee this will be the last night such 'music' will play here, if that is your wish," he tepped to Vanessa, and added with some amusement, "I don't know that I'd trust the vitae of many of the patrons here to be clean of illicit and dangerous substances."

Vanessa agreed wholeheartedly, and headed to the back to locate the proprietor of the establishment.

After some searching, they found her, a thirty-something woman wearing leather and sunglasses. At least the noise was somewhat less here. "What do you need?" she asked. "The bar's out front."

"We've come to discuss more detailed business arrangements than is appropriate to the public domain," Alistair replied calmly. "I think you will find them to be of considerable interest to you." As an aside, he tepped to Vanessa, "A blood bond? Or the more brute force approach of control? What do you say, childe?" The decision was hers, though he would perform the task himself as required.

Vanessa didn't trust the possibility of control, not with so many competent telepaths around that might be able to detect it or undo it. The other option, however, was far more intriguing.

The proprietor, who, according to a brass plate on the door, was named Janet, said, "Oh? I'm afraid the place ain't for sale right now."

"Oh, I have no interest in buying your establishment," Alistair replied, smiling. "I do believe, however, that you are going to find it greatly to your advantage, not to mention the purest pleasure in your life, to assist us in any way that is needed. Please, do sit down and be still," the last was said with the resonance of Speech as he motioned to a seat nearby.

Janet took a seat and looked up to him curiously. "What do ya need, then?"

Alistair found a convenient flat surface and answered the woman as he pointed to Vanessa. "You are going to accept a drink from my childe while I perform a small rite that will strengthen her vitae momentarily, creating what is commonly referred to as a blood bond. You will be treated well, of course, but you will obey her in all things." He nicked his wrist with a fang and allowed a few drops of blood to splatter.

After sealing the wound, he began drawing a design in the vitae with a fingertip and nodded to Vanessa to proceed. She could feel a thin thread of power reaching out from him and coiling around her.

Janet had no idea what was going on, but was hardly in much position to refuse as Vanessa likewise opened her wrist and offered her blood to the woman, grinning faintly. The ritual and the symbols he marked serve to strengthen her blood, the normal process of bonding a ghoul over three nights or even three months coalescing into the single draught.

Alistair said, "This will also be to your advantage, I can assure you, as you will not age or grow sick, and you will gain some small measure of power from the blood of your master. Each month will you feed from her, so long as she pleases to keep you safe."

When Vanessa was finished, Janet blinked at them for a moment and said, "Oh. Yes. Of course. What can I do for you tonight?"

Vanessa rubbed a finger in an ear for a moment and said, "For starters, better music." She smirked.

Alistair laughed lightly and licked the vitae from his fingertip, "It is as simple as that, and not even so much is required to manipulate those it would be wisest left to their own devices."

Janet eagerly went to the sound control in the next room to put on some music she thought Vanessa might like over the speakers. Not everyone was into modern Glyphan music after all. She put on some more classic rock instead. The patrons, for the most part, didn't seem to mind the change of pace much.

Vanessa grinned a bit and thought, "Well, that was certainly effective..."

"And you now have a place where you may easily operate from and a pool of kine from which to draw sustenance or ghouls," Alistair replied, and smiled. "Congratulations on your first acquisition, my dear, the first of many if that is your desire."

Janet had some extra rooms in the basement that she'd be quite happy if they used if they wanted. They were hardly the lap of luxury, but they were surprisingly clean and well-furnished considering the setting.

They would certainly suffice, as Alistair had certainly made do with less at various periods over the years and didn't really need to remain there if he chose not to anyway. The important part was that there be no annoying sunlight intrusions, and that the woman would make sure to keep the place sealed until they were ready to return to activity. He really preferred not to brain-wipe ghouls, but he'd see how she worked out.

Janet quite assured them that, being twenty feet underground, there wouldn't be any sunlight intrusions, and the place was locked so patrons couldn't meander in (she did, of course, happily give them keys), and even assured them that the noise level was a good deal lower during the less active daylight hours.

Alistair was content with that and left any other tasks that might be set to the woman to Vanessa's choosing. It was her ghoul after all, and that was all part of the proper care and management of them. Other than the monthly feeding thing, there was little real upkeep.

Vanessa pocketed the key and went to take a good look around the place. They didn't pay too much notice to her Death Dancer outfit - after all, the Dancers customarily wore the things even when "off duty" anyway, as a sign of pride. She found the current music a good deal more appealing than the terrible noise that was on earlier.

"A few missing patrons and all will be settled for basic requirements," Alistair tepped to her, idly studying the assembled sheep. "Thereafter it becomes a matter of deciding which path you wish to follow."

The guy who was working the doorway when they came in, a burly Cybion with an eyepiece, approached him and said, "Excuse me, sir, but you don't have a valid ID. You can obtain one easily by filling out some forms..." He offered him a datapad.

Alistair examined the forms with a quiet smirk, thoroughly amused by the fascination that society seemed to have developed for paperwork in all its forms and format. He shrugged mentally and filled them out, though there was little enough that would be verifiable, naturally, even were it to be even a hint of the truth.

"Bureaucrats," he tepped scornfully, "The death of a thousand desks."

"It's not much a problem," the Cybion said. "Ever since the war ended we've been getting in all kinds of people from uncharted colonies on the fringe worlds, many of which are rather primitive and keep poor records if any at all."

"Anything to keep the record-keepers happy," Alistair replied, still quite amused at it all. He was almost tempted to put down his oldest name, but he refrained, one never knew when one of the Kindred from his own world might come out this way, after all, slim though the chance might be.

When he was finished, the Cybion took the datapad and said, "Thank you very much. I'll get this processed for you as soon as possible to avoid any mix-ups." He headed off.

Alistair nodded and let the man return to his duties, at least mildly approving the efficiency displayed. "You may wish to offer that one a ghoul's gift as well," he remarked. "Potence would surely be a convenient boon to one in such an occupation as would other trifles, and he seems at least competent. That minor detail is lamentably difficult to find, these days."

Vanessa considered it, having watched the exchange with some amusement, but at the moment she was more focused on observing the crowd. This was entirely new to her, after all.

Alistair followed the train of her attention and smirked faintly. "And what do you think of the degenerate masses? Does the sight inspire you to leap out to their defense? Or perhaps something else entirely now, hmm?"

"Not especially, no," Vanessa replied. "I lost track of how many of them I killed during the war... You know if you leave the comm open you can hear them screaming as their ship blows to pieces around them."

"Mm, I think you're mistaking the people for their leaders, my dear," Alistair tepped chidingly. "What more do the wayward lambs know than what they're taught and shaped to understand as truth? Imagine the sheer _potential_ of forging them into something else entirely... What could you not do?"

"Well, there's not much else you can do when somebody is flying at you in a spaceship with intent to blow you up. I know they're all brainwashed idiots, in the military, but here? Mh."

"Society brainwashes them from the cradle," Alistair replied. "Military organizations merely take that to another level entirely. It would be a waste to discard them when they might otherwise be... persuaded to serve your own purpose. The delightful irony of holding your former enemy beneath your heel, it's a pleasure you'll not soon forget. Trust me in that."

Vanessa would hardly mind killing a few thousand of them, a few million, but that would be fairly obvious, and pointless. "Hmm..."

Tasting her mood, Alistair chuckled, "And if you truly wished to cleanse some of them who proved particularly obnoxious to you, then surely it would be well within your right as lord and master, hmm? Even the vaunted Empress would be hard-pressed to justify stepping upon a duly-recognized head of state and their laws."

"Are you trying to corrupt me?" Vanessa asked lightly, without hint of malice.

"Corrupt you?" Alistair asked with light amusement and a thin, quirked smile. "Naturally not, that has so many... unpleasant connotations. I am merely here as your Sire, mentor, and advisor as the need arises. I would be remiss not to point out the possibilities which are open to you. Although," he chuckled, "I would recommend against mass slaughter, it's so wasteful. Much better to set them aside as blood dolls for an eternity."

Vanessa thought about that for a bit, and doubted she'd be able to get away with it anyway, and replied, "You may have a point there." She did continue to think that the Primos were a waste of flesh, but if it could be put to good use, well...

"It's much easier to wave away objections of prisoner treatment, for example," Alistair smirked, "than to explain the idea of mass graves. Terra has a long history of such stories it could tell you and prove the truth in it. Besides, it has such tasteful, and tasty, irony to it, and the flavor of despair and terror really _does_ add spice to vitae."

Thinking about it thoughtfully, Vanessa went to see about settling more immediate needs. There was certainly time enough for all that. She still wasn't fully used to this entire idea of being a vampire and all, but she figured she could get used to it. It certainly had its perks, after all...

Alistair would leave it to her for now, his own attention returning with the thoughtful appraisal that Toreador were best known for of the crowd. The question would be who to add to their current little farm? Decisions, decisions, it was always so difficult to choose when one was hungry, more likely to want one of _everything_ on the menu. There were certain advantages of being unknown, to be sure.

Vanessa picked out a lonely looking wallflower who apparently got ditched by his date, oh the sympathy! Of course, she had to wonder how he got a date at all with his hair dyed black and dressed like that. Weird fashion trends. Whatever, at least he was sober and all.

Sobriety was highly overrated, in fact they had a whole class of slang for drunk or stoned kine, one of them being a 'happy meal'. That was one of the few ways that Kindred could actually become intoxicated themselves, and there were some who were decidedly fond of it.

Vanessa was never overly fond of alcohol and drugs in life, anyway. It was hardly for prudish or religious reasons, to be sure, it was more a practical matter of the fact that people were more likely to sneak up and shoot at you when your senses and reflexes were dulled.

There was also the little detail that even Kindred could become addicted, though the idea seemed absurd, the sad scene had played itself out over and over again among the younger Kindred circles since the seventies. Probably wiser by far, and Alistair would likely approve, nor would he be overly dismayed at a corpse ending the feeding. There was something to be said for draining a vessel to the dregs now and again.

She did, however, leave him alive and well when she headed back to where Alistair was, and figured he probably was better off than standing around pining over some girl all night anyway. Feh, kids these days.

Alistair took the easier route he'd denied himself earlier, taking a bit of blood here and there and adding it to his pool without ever leaving his quiet observation spot. It lacked perhaps some of the thrill of the chase, but really, after enough years even _that_ began to be quite the bore.

He nodded as she replied, noting the faint flush of feeding, and grinned faintly, "Enjoy yourself?"

"Mmm. There's something to be said about rejected goth boys. I'm not sure what, but I'm sure there's something," Vanessa commented.

"They're impossible to tell from their counterparts?" Alistair replied innocently, then spoiled it by chuckling. "True enough. Before the Kindred became known once more, it was simple to go to one of their clubs, invite them to a back room and let them indulge in a bit of self-mutilation. Never a bit of effort wasted, a completely free meal."

Vanessa was highly amused at that image and laughed aloud, leaning against the wall. "Oh dear, that's too funny."

"Isn't it, though?" Alistair smirked. "They thought it extraordinarily erotic and kinky to have their self-inflicted wounds licked clean, who was I to argue?" he chuckled once more, "It merely goes to show that it's quite simple to turn someone's inclinations to your own advantage, if you're watchful and imaginative enough."

"So long as they don't try to inflict their poetry on you. I can only hear 'my soul is a dark miasma' so many times before I feel like smacking somebody..."

"Mm, please, if you ever consider devolving to that level like so many other of the Degenerates, I fear I'll be forced to make use of my right of destruction," Alistair replied, looking pained at the very thought of all that dark and gothy poetry, life lived in 'one dark room'. It was enough to make an artist's soul weep!

"No, thankfully, I never saw much point in constantly moping about writing depressive poetry. Ugh!" Vanessa replied. "I don't know why they do it."

"The darkness of the soul that they understand _all so well_ ," Alistair replied, turning his eyes heavenward. "Surely they know all that the world is and has to offer, thus they know the truth of matters, hmm?" He snorted lightly. "Ah well, and the children wondered always why I retreated? Fools..."

"Seems to me everyone always thinks they know everything at some point in their lives. And then, eventually, it hits them that they _don't_. Some seem to take longer than others to figure that out..."

"And at what point," Alistair smiled slightly. "Do you think that assumption might indeed become true? A hundred years? A thousand? Ten thousand?" He turned a sharply attentive gaze on Vanessa, curious as to her answer.

"I don't know," Vanessa replied. "I'd hope that after that long they'd eventually figure it out. I sure as hell don't know everything, and it would be preposterous to think that I did."

Alistair replied with a hooded glance and a lazy smile. "There is always something more to be learned and gained, further heights to press your abilities and hone the edges of your intellect. In ten thousand years you will look back upon this moment and see that it was indeed true, as you will forty thousand beyond that. Even now there are things which I must puzzle at now and again, and will ever continue to do so."

"I would hope so," Vanessa replied. "Existence would be awfully dull if one knew everything that was, wouldn't it?"

"I don't know," Alistair mused. "What would really be left after that unending goal was attained? It's certainly dull enough with little more than that yet remaining, the experiences that once thrilled will eventually pale in their appeal as you will find. The blood's heat will cool, leaving... hmm, a refinement of the intellect, if the inclination still remains."

"I don't know why some people would wish for omnipotence, omniscience..." Vanessa mused. "If such a thing really exists, you'd think it would kind of defeat its own point. And most people don't want to know _everything_ anyway. They'd be content just knowing next week's lottery numbers."

"Ah, but it's a goal to work towards, isn't it?" Alistair replied bemusedly. "Certainly better than the paltry and useless dreams of the peasantry throughout the ages who wish for nothing more than an extra goose and its golden eggs. It may never be _reached_ , but it's certainly something worth striving for, as only knowledge and power are enduring."

"Surely," she replied. "I don't know about godlike powers, but I'd be perfectly content with near-godlike powers, after all." She snickerd softly.

"Allow it time," Alistair replied, chuckling deeply. "You will realize the true heights which the depths of your blood will lend you. Admittedly there will always be those who will seek to impose their will on you, but with wit enough you'll find yourself more than equal to the task. Eventually there will be precious little besides the gods themselves, Caine, and myself," he smirked, "That will be beyond your grasp."

"But not tonight," Vanessa replied. The crowd trickled off slowly as the early morning wore on, and the music quieted down. She had to admit, it hadn't been a bad night by any means.

"No, not tonight," Alistair agreed, watching the last refugees quietly. "Nor even a thousand years, but time is meaningless when enough has passed behind you. One step, and then another, and the one after that, you will soon glance back at the shadowed mists of memory and find..." He shook his head, the melancholy striking a little too close and not particularly suiting his taste. "Enough. The sun dawns soon, we should be to our rest and thoughts upon your next step. As admirable and satisfying as this one surely was, it is but the smallest that you will accomplish." The last was filled with an utter certainty as he disengaged from his repose and made his way toward their haven.

Vanessa nodded in faint agreement and headed down to her own room to sleep as well.


	4. Emily's Wild Tales

True to Janet's word, nobody disturbed them while they slept. With the switch in music and cleaning up a bit, the nightclub quickly began to attract more patrons, and a higher quality of patrons as well. Apparently, not all that many people actually _liked_ the terrible Glyphan "music" anyway. Though, that same goth boy kept coming back regularly. Apparently he couldn't get laid and this was the next best thing.

Things were progressing nicely, not nearly the breakneck pace that the Brujah often favored and which was aptly called 'breakneck' for a reason. Alistair was familiar with working in terms of decades and centuries, there was hardly reason to encourage his childe to pursue any path with less than reasonable caution and prudence. Establishing a haven and a steady supply of vitae was vital, and both now seen to with little difficulty.

One day, around a week or so after getting established here, someone with a distinct family resemblance to Vanessa came into the nightclub. She was dressed in unassuming civilian clothes rather than their typical Death Dancer affair, and although she made no point of it, a quick look at her aura would indicate that she possessed quite the impressive variety of abilities.

All in all, he was quite pleased with the situation and the potential that Vanessa was displaying. Now, he mused as the new arrival made itself known, if only the interruptions could be held at bay. Hmm. He studied them thoughtfully, then approached with sudden decisiveness, smiling politely. "Welcome, welcome, how may this humble establishment serve you?"

The woman smiled at him in a friendly manner. "Well, hello there! My name is Emily Jordan. You must be the one my paranoid fool of a sister told me to look out for."

"Ahhh, another delightful example of the Jordan clan, though I will admit to noticing the resemblance," Alistair grinned, eyes glittering with mirth and showing not the faintest hint of the reaction to the warning which had been passed along. "I fear my reputation is greatly overblown, dear lady. Alistair Craulen, at your service."

"Delighted, I'm sure," Emily said, smiling. "When I heard Vanessa was in town, I just had to put Abram in charge of the Tijuana colony for the interim and come see my favorite sister."

"Allow me to escort you," Alistair said, "I am certain she'll be delighted to receive a proper familial welcome." He gestured her to accompany him and added in confidential tones. "Her reception by another sibling was quite distressing, I'm sure this will go far toward restoring her spirits." As long as it didn't go _too_ far, this was something which could be turned to advantage.

"Oh, certainly, I have _quite_ the stories to tell her, you would not believe," Emily said brightly.

Vanessa was, at the moment, off in the sound room selecting some of her favorite songs and adding them to the lineup.

"I'm certain she'll be delighted for the opportunity to catch up on family affairs." Alistair smiled, then turned his attention as they enter the sound room. "Ah there you are, Vanessa, you have a visitor."

Vanessa looked up and at Emily with a touch of surprise. "Emily? What are you doing here?"

Emily just laughed, which made Vanessa even more surprised and blinking slightly. Emily said, "How could I pass up an opportunity to see my favorite sister? Come, let us go somewhere more quiet to chat."

"It would seem that not all are quite so closed-minded, an attribute to be cherished and cultivated, childe," Alistair tepped lightly, then continued aloud, "By all means, I'm sure there's a great deal for you to talk about and I shall leave you to it. You need only call should you require anything."

"Come now, the more the merrier, I certainly don't mind," Emily said, gesturing him vaguely toward the office where Vanessa had started for and following her in herself.

"How could I possibly decline such a gracious invitation?" Alistair replied amiably, "I am of course at your disposal," and followed them. It should prove interesting to see what information the woman might impart, knowingly or otherwise.

Vanessa closed the door behind them and said, "Okay, who are you and what have you done with Emily?"

Emily smirked and said, "No, I _am_ Emily, but that's a bit of a long story. Best be seated for it." She took a seat herself.

Alistair was rather curious at Vanessa's reaction, and moved quietly to find a comfortable perch as well. One did have to wonder why this woman's reactions showed none of the same instant distrust as others of the family. Vanessa sat and waited for Emily to clarify the situation.

Emily said to Alistair, "You, sir, as you may or may not be aware... The Cybions created the Jordan sisters through genetic engineering, making various changes and experiments with us. Some of us were deformed or completely insane from birth. Others had serious but non-fatal issues, such as Jenna, who was incapable of reproduction. And, of course, Vanessa here, who couldn't access the psychic abilities most of us could. I, however, they made my mind wrong... I was completely inhuman, so to speak, incapable of normal human emotions beyond the more primal ones of anger, lust, and such..."

That Emily knew about the specifics of all that was enough to make Vanessa relax a bit in assurance that it was, indeed, Emily.

That would explain a great deal, on many levels, and Alistair nodded slowly in growing understanding of the puzzle that it shed light upon. "You will find that I have little reason to judge in terms of emotions," he said. "Many of those are... weakened to make room for the growth of others among us. I take from your words, however, that your own particular artificially inspired condition has been rectified."

"At the time, I was a Urian Priestess. I had gone to a play called Torn Elkandu in order to assist with setting up a temple there. But I had a bit of a falling out with the then-High Priest, our father, Abram. So, I sacrificed him on an altar and became the High Priestess of the Nameless Ones..."

Vanessa just stared wordlessly.

"Yes, we are familiar with Torn Elkandu," Alistair said. "It is in fact where Vanessa and I became acquainted, but please, go on."

It was somehow amusing that she rattled off events that would a Kindred would find nothing amiss in, perhaps her 'deficiency' was not quite so daunting as she had thought it. No matter.

"Shortly following that, I encountered an angel by the name of Adrienna, who decided to 'heal my mind' so to speak, and effectively rewired it in order that I would experience 'normal' emotions," Emily said. "Which was extremely disorienting to me, as you might imagine..."

Alistair's expression displayed faint distaste. "I can certainly imagine." There were always those who sought to interfere in the lives of others 'for their own good', how dreadfully dull and self-deceiving. The only 'good' that sort of thing was for was the overweening pride of the fool inflicting it on others without their consent. At least he was honest with himself in that regard.

"So then, some foolish Elkandu decided to travel to the Nameless Ones' planet in the Ethereal Plane and inadvertently freed them from their imprisonment, to where they proceeded to wreck havoc on the universe. I stood by watching as everything, everywhere, was slaughtered and destroyed. And as their High Priestess, I had the dubious privilege of being the last to die."

Vanessa just blinked for a moment at this. There was clearly still some delusional elements remaining, Alistair thought bemusedly, but what did one really expect with that sort of mental interference? He could make someone believe anything he wished them to, it wasn't difficult to believe it of someone else.

"So, I wound up in Hell, and found Abram there, and decided that I didn't particularly want to remain in Hell, so, taking him with me, I escaped from Hell and ordered the Nameless Ones to return me to life with their talisman which I still had. But then I decided that being the only living things in the universe was pretty boring, so I decided to go back in time and prevent it from happening."

It was, if nothing else, a most fascinating example of deep-seated delusion he'd seen in some time, not a sign of it detectable and only the blindingly impossible nature of the tale giving a hint to its fallacy. Whether it had been self-inflicted or at the hand of another, the detailing was quite frankly admirable and entertaining.

"While traveling through time, I came across some others who had escaped the destruction of the universe narrowly - Kalli, Suzcecoz, Asura, and one Kanraku. After a lengthy trial of fixing things, they decided to bring together the nine most powerful Time Mages in the universe, with the three most powerful magical artifacts, at the Gates of Time, in order to fix the future and prevent anything like that from ever happening again. They came together in a circle and channeled a complex spell into my talisman, to bind the Nameless Ones to me... I woke sometime later on a remote world, and the talisman's form had changed, it was no longer a skull but a living face... Kalli, Abram, and Asura were there, but they couldn't remember how they got there at first, but they later recovered some echo of what had happened in the timeline that didn't happen."

Alistair idly wondered if it was these 'Nameless Ones' who created the illusion, and if they had placed the supporting elements in the others who had been mentioned. It would be interesting to discover, merely from the perspective of professional curiosity, but he doubted he would deem it worth the trouble to check deeply into it. An amusing tale, regardless, and certainly blending soon back toward reality...

Vanessa certainly didn't know what to say to all this science fiction and wasn't sure whether to believe it or _not_. Emily continued, "So, wandering around a bit and trying to get reestablished, I ran into, and got killed by, one Dolen Ista. I woke again on a remote planet somewhere and commandeered a Starfire-class cruiser..."

Alistair had to quirk a brow at the mention of the name. "How interesting, I had no idea that the Ista clan had found their way into this domain." Not any real concern, but intriguing nonetheless.

"So, after that, I was being hunted by everyone and their mother apparently, so I took a side trip to the Warhammer universe to see about garnering some converts. I came to the planet Vindictus and took over the place, started to establish things again... then Abram came, and he turned my pet daemonette against me, who stole my talisman and allowed him to perform some crazy ritual that allowed Sheniro to devour the other Nameless Ones."

Ahh, that would explain the rumors of the gods being destroyed here, and the rise of one to claim supremacy. It was a bold and well-executed move, it would seem, and the attainment of power was ever something of which Alistair could approve.

"Well, Danir wasn't too happy about this, especially after briefly getting sucked into the dimension of tentacle hentai, so he decided to destroy the planet and we narrowly escaped. We returned to the Karzan Galaxy and came to the planet Tijuana, which I took over promptly and started some heavy renovation work to turn it into something remotely useful. Got a nice temple to Sheniro built up there, have terraforming in progress, and Lisa Fadger's working on developing a method by which to produce artificial luminite, which would be a gold mine if she can manage it..."

"A most eventful period." Alistair chuckled lightly. "Though it would appear that the more difficult times are certainly working in your favor at the last. It's always quite satisfying to change something from its original form and mold it to a more productive and useful ideal." Whether the inanimate or living flesh, that held true.

Vanessa said, "That's certainly quite the story. Have you considered selling the novel rights? I imagine it would make quite the feature film, too." Emily smirked.

"Undoubtedly," Alistair agreed dryly. "But then there's the percentage to be paid to your agent, the public appearances, the endless signings and tours... quite the drab prospect, I'd think."

"Heh. No thanks. Enough people already think I'm crazy as it is. No, I'm quite sure being a planetary administrator and a messiah is quite enough for that. So! What have you been up to the last fifty years? Aside from, obviously, the entire 'turning into a vampire' business." Emily chuckled softly.

"Largely keeping on the move, from all I've heard," Alistair said, turning an amused glance to Vanessa. "Though I'm sure there are countless harrowing tales you could regale your sister with, hmm?"

Vanessa said, "Nothing _quite_ so entertaining as traveling through time and saving the universe, to be sure. Though I did give the snake-men of Septimus Prime quite the runaround for a while there."

"There is something to be said for maintaining a slightly lower profile," Alistair chuckled. "Though I suppose that enemies will find you regardless, it certainly can't be any harm."

"Heh. Urians were always experts in not being found if they don't want to be," Emily said. "How else might we have survived centuries of persecution? But now everything goes on the cybernet the minute it happens it seems like, what with all the Cybions around with commlinks in their brains and stupid blogs... And you can't properly mind-wipe somebody with a memory implant."

"Modern communication methods certainly have their disadvantages," Alistair agreed. "But there are a great many advantages to compensate for them, and the drawbacks merely require a greater degree of forethought and ingenuity to overcome." It would be an interesting test of those systems to see just how quickly events emerged in the public eye elsewhere.

"Of course, on the upside, most people don't believe 99% of what's posted on the cybernet anyway," Emily said. "But that's how Sharra found _me_. Some teenage boy decided to post on his blog complaining about being sober and having to do actual work for a change, from what I later found out." She snorted softly.

Alistair laughed lightly. "Ever the lot of the peasants to bemoan their fate when changes are in the air, even ones which may benefit them in the long run! Such has always been the case from the dawn of man and will ever be so." His eyes narrowed slightly. "The attention drawn was not wholly beneficial, I presume?"

"Not at first, I don't think, but after she determined that I wasn't doing anything too illegal and seemed to genuinely have people's interests in mind, more or less, she just left an observer for the Empire there and gave me a fair chunk of change to get the project off the ground with... Rather surprised me, all things considered."

"What, no gun held upon you when you'd come with peaceful intent? How shocking," Alistair replied dryly. "I think I shall need reserve judgment for the time being."

"But if we can get that luminite project going we'll be rolling in the dough, certainly," Emily said. "The colony's much improved since I got there and terraforming is well underway. If you ever care to visit, just drop me a line and I'll be sure to prepare some rooms for you." She smiled.

"A most gracious offer," Alistair replied with a tilt of his head. "And one that will doubtless be taken advantage of one day. At present, we've managed to remain fairly busy establishing ourselves here and looking toward future endeavors."

Emily stood up, stretching, and said, "But, it was nice chatting. I believe I shall hit the bar and see about enjoying myself a bit with your fine establishment before heading back." She inclined her head politely to them and headed for the door.

"By all means," Alistair replied smoothly, rising courteously to open the door for her. "Enjoy whatever is offered, and you need only speak your desire for it to be provided, as available." He turned a thoughtful look to Vanessa as Emily left, quietly closing the door after, then twitched a faint grin. "Certainly more amenable than the last, and some interesting information shared."

"One has to wonder how much of it was fact and how much fantasy," Vanessa commented wryly. "Though that shouldn't be too hard to confirm, if Kalli was there she should know what really happened."

"Would she?" Alistair returns dryly, "Or would it be another example of delusion inflicted by an outside agency? A successful reprogramming will always involve enough others that even the most implausible or impossible must be given a shadow of doubt." He smirked. "But come now, I fear some elements were entirely too absurd to give even that much to. She did seem lucid enough otherwise, though, and a pleasant woman."

"Perhaps, perhaps," Vanessa mused. "But I seem to recall you telling me not to dismiss things as impossible too readily, either." She gave a faint smirk. "So I'll reserve judgment on that for the moment. It likely makes little difference either way, regardless."

"Touche," Alistair replied with a grin. "And fairly said, yet one must remain mindful of certain basic realities." He chuckled and shrugged eloquently. "Cogit ergo sum, and so have I continued, I find small reason to doubt my own existence. You are correct, however, in that there is little reason to consider it further, as the visit upon the whole seemed quite satisfactory."

"Yes, considerably more amicable than Jenna," Vanessa replied thoughtfully. "So then. What's on the agenda for tonight? More training?" She looked fairly hopeful.

Alistair noted the look and smiled faintly. "Do you place your hopes upon furthering your abilities, or does your spirit crave something more dire to occupy it?"

"Mmm. What do you have in mind?" Vanessa asked with a grin.

"That you need to learn to work on thinking of long-ranging plans rather than the day to day satiation of your desire for 'action'?" Alistair replied with light mockery, but such was ever the way of youth, he supposed, and continued. "However, depending upon your ultimate goal, there are steps which may be taken to begin with."

Vanessa chuckled softly, and gave a nod. "Surely. I am listening."

Alistair chuckled indulgently. "Very well childe, though there is a question I must ask of you first. How quickly do you wish to see these Primos brought under your heel? Would you wish a dagger's thrust, or the death of a thousand cuts?"

Vanessa considered thoughtfully. While the former certainly had its appeal, the latter would doubtless prove more satisfactory and solid, and appeal much more to the Death Dancer in her.

"I will say that both have their advantages and disadvantages," Alistair tepped. "Perhaps the most 'vital' aspect that you will need decide is what time you might be willing to dedicate to it. The second approach is by far the most certain and logical, but it will require months at the least, if not years. It has the advantage of dealing with the small details which might haunt later in the first approach."

"I do not appear to be overly pressed for time at the moment," Vanessa replied with a faint grin. "Emily so blithely talks of taking over planets, hah, she probably just walked in and pointed a gun at somebody. No, I'm perfectly willing to take the time to do it right."

Alistair smiled and nodded once in approval. "Well thought, childe, and perhaps your path may lead you to undermining the entirety of your enemy's worlds before all is said and done. We shall see." He made a dismissive gesture. "A successful hostile takeover must take into account the smallest of the parts that function as glue for the society. What organization would you think that to be?"

Vanessa considered that thoughtfully, mulling over the actual role of the politicians and how little part they generally actually played in people's day to day lives.

"Many would make the mistake of saying the president, or other prominent politicians," Alistair tepped. "Yet their impact is very minimal in the scheme of things beyond seeing that laws are put into place. Another mistake would be to lay the power in the hands of the people, but the sheep are ever happy so long as their pens are relatively safe, quiet, and have enough for them to eat. That brings us to the question of who, precisely, truly controls a world... and what answer suggests itself to you?" he prompted.

"The priests?" Vanessa suggested pensively, bringing to mind Emily's mention of becoming a religious leader.

"Very good," Alistair replied. "Though that's only one aspect of it. This society is steeped in its religion, and the masses may be readily controlled through it. The other part of the equation is the merchants, without whom there would be nothing for the politicians to rule _or_ the people to be fed with. One more faction remains with considerable clout, the police and other armed forces. In those three you find the body, soul, and strength of a world, only the mind need be provided them to sway events to your liking."

"I don't put too much store into the military, myself," Vanessa commented. 'They're given such minimal training, they're like storm troopers. A single Death Dancer could kill a hundred of them without ever getting hit. But with all the talk of religious upheavals lately... hmm."

Alistair smirked. "And yet the vaunted Death Dancers aren't the issue, instead the mindless masses of the Primo worlds... or at the least this one for now. They would be more than sufficient to quell an uprising, so do not readily dismiss them. Even a poorly equipped knight is more than a match for a score of the peasantry."

"Perhaps, but I'd still feel more comfortable with a dozen Death Dancers than a thousand storm troopers. Regardless..."

Alistair shook his head in exasperated amusement, but left that matter for now, it was perhaps something that would turn to a valuable lesson later. "Very well, we've identified the essential elements that make a society run," he tepped. "Does that information provide you with an idea of where to begin?" He had spewed his own rhetoric elsewhere, he did indeed recognize the potential there.

Vanessa nodded thoughtfully and tepped, "If the rumors of the priests going mad are true and the gods being destroyed... but then, in my experience, people were never dissuaded from their religions by little issues like their deities not actually existing..."

"If anything it tends to make their faith all the purer," Alistair nodded. "When there is no guarantee of reward in this life, then what reason for resentment or rebellion? Of course, twisting it to your own purpose could well provide another level entirely to it, and instant gratification and self-aggrandizement are ever powerful motivators."

"So that leaves it to taking over the church," Vanessa mused, considering what the status of it might be at the moment. "Wonder what things are really like there these days. So then, I guess, the place to start would be to find out what the current status of things is with it, then."

"Indeed," Alistair agreed. "To discover not only its current activities but to discern the patterns of those who control it, gain access, and find other details which may be of use... prominent members, financial arrangements, and similar minutiae."

Vanessa called up a map on the office's computer terminal to see where the nearest Primo temple might be to check out. A couple blocks away to the north, apparently. It was noted as 'services suspended until further notice.'

Looking over her shoulder, Alistair tepped dryly, "Not precisely the most auspicious sign, or perhaps a better one than may have been wished for."

"Well, it doesn't seem up to giving details, so one way to find out," Vanessa commented, standing and stretching a bit.

"Then by all means, let us do so," Alistair replied, opening the office door again and gesturing for her to precede him, an old mannerism and one that he had seen little reason to change. After all, sending someone before you, even in the vein of 'polite behavior', meant another tested the waters first.

Vanessa headed out toward the door, sparing half a glance across to the bar where Emily was holding a half-drunk colorful mixed drink and looked entirely too drunk to safely fly a spaceship. She didn't notice them.

Alistair noticed the glance and followed it, smirked lightly, and continued to the door to speak with the bouncer there in a low voice, indicating Emily with a subtle gesture. "The lady is of some import, see that she is not allowed to come to any harm and is made comfortable for the night when her revelry is complete."

"Yes, sir," the Cybion replied, guessing that their guest was Vanessa's sister by the resemblance alone.


	5. Sacrament of Blood

Vanessa headed out onto the streets. It was around midnight and a weekday, and there wasn't too much traffic at the moment. It wasn't too far a walk -- the Primos apparently like to keep a church within walking distance at all times for some reason, so the things were dotted all over the place.

The minor detail attended, Alistair followed out into the night and paused on the street to drink in the strange setting. The world was so similar at the basic level, and yet so strange and exotic in every other... he shook his head faintly and turned to trail along Vanessa's path. There were means to controlling a population through their religion, and he was curious to see if certain elements are available to make use of.

When they reached the temple, it appeared to be dark and deserted, but it wasn't locked, and at second glance there was movement in one of the darkened windows. Vanessa headed inside cautiously and quietly. Night was the Kindred's home and ally, confidante and closest friend, and Alistair entered the church with quiet self-assurance.

The movement turned out to a middle-aged man in priest's robes sitting alone in a darkened office. "What are you doing in here?" he gibbered at them. "Church is closed. No sermons for tonight. No sermons ever again!" He looked to be half-drunk, too.

"Why is that?" Alistair asked, his tone calm and soothing.

"Gone... gone... they're all gone... dead... silent... they speak no more to me..." He whimpered quietly, curling up into a pathetic little ball.

Alistair smiled thinly. "And so quickly have you lost faith, little man? Surely you realize that the universe is not so cold and uncaring as to desert the true of heart, to leave them cold and bereft in the darkness of night."

"I felt it... I felt them... ripped from my mind... torn away and devoured like so much meat... The pain... the pain... Silence... I'm alone now... all alone... I cannot live.. I cannot preach.. What do I believe anymore?"

What a wretched, pathetic man, Alistair sneered inwardly, disdainful of the utter weakness instilled by some false faith... but there was great potential there, ripe to be taken. "You believe in salvation," he replied, his voice vibrant with certainty. "You believe in a future that has not forsaken you, no matter that your faith has crumbled at such a minor setback. There is yet a purpose for you to fill, priest."

"M-m-m-minor? How can you--you call the death of gods _minor_? There is no hope! Hell only for us all now! The Apocalypse is upon us! There is no more salvation!"

Alistair laughed aloud. "Death of gods? Who cares about the workings of beings who don't give a damn about you? What reason to follow some spineless entity who watches millions die without lifting a finger, yet claims to see the falling of a sparrow? Is _that_ where your faith lies, little man?"

"They are... all-powerful... they smiled upon me... they even lent me some small ability to work miracles in their name... And now they're gone... Gone... What am I to do?"

"All-powerful, miracle giving..." Alistair mocked. "Yet you say they have forsaken you to embrace destruction. That way lies only weakness and folly, priest. Tell me of these 'miracles' that you were gifted to perform, speak of their wonders!"

"They had... they had given me the healing touch..." he murmured. "I could touch a sick girl and she would be well again... a blind man would be able to see... I could even purge alcohol and poison from a person's body... but no more... No longer..."

"Healing, is that truly the best which they offered?" Alistair mocked. "Mere parlor tricks, achieved with the simplest of sacraments."

"W-What do you mean?" he sputtered. "There were others--others with far greater powers given to them, but not me, not me, I am merely a lowly priest of a humble temple..."

"And what of greater gifts?" Alistair smirked. "To provide endless youth, an immunity to disease, the ability to heal one _self_... oh, there are great gifts you could offer indeed, fallen priest."

The priest stopped babbling for a moment and stared at him. "B-But... how?"

"Do you perform communion?" Alistair asked in return.

"Oh, c-certainly, every week until th-this came down... Why?"

"Bring the sacrament, and I will show you that of which I speak," Alistair replied.

The priest stumbled out of the office and into a storage room off to the side, with some neatly arranged bottles of wine. "Right here, right here," he said, pulling one out to show him. Vanessa was watching with interest, trying to restrain an evil grin as she thought she knew what he was up to.

Changing water into wine was so passe, Alistair chuckled inwardly and stepped forward to take the bottle. He unsealed and lifted it to take a look deeper within, even as Vanessa felt a small portion of her own vitae vanish. Turning back to the priest, he retrieved one of the ritual cups and poured a little of the wine in, then offered it, "Take this in remembrance of me."

The priest was confused, but knowing that the gods were no more made any protests of blasphemy pretty moot anyway, so after a moment he just took it and peered at it briefly in confusion, but he did drink it.

Alistair waited a moment, then viciously backhanded the man, very careful of the force being applied but definitely wanting to cause an injury the priest would remember.

The priest stumbled back, reaching out to a chair to steady himself and unconsciously rubbing his jaw. "What was that for?"

Alistair folded his arms, smirking faintly. "Merely an object lesson, priest. Now, for the proof I offered, given in the consecration of the sacrament... Healer, heal thyself. You need only believe and know that the power flows in your veins, a gift of that blessing. Do it."

The priest was very confused and stood there babbling for a moment. Then a moment later he blinked and said, "... what the?"

Alistair chuckled lightly, re-sealing the bottle and setting it aside. "What indeed," he agreed. "Did I not tell you that there yet remained something to retain faith in? An emissary has arrived, and brings proof that you have not been forgotten."

"B-But the death gods are gone too... Or do you speak of that one, the murderer, the devourer...?"

"I don't speak of old, dead gods," Alistair replied. "Rather the arrival of a new order, one which will indeed provide real and very potent rewards in _this_ life for the true believers. Tell me that the masses could ask for anything more..."

The priest thought about that for a moment longer. "What is this, some pact with demonic powers or something?"

Alistair laughed airily, glancing at Vanessa. "Do you see how quickly they assume infernal intent? A pity that there are so very, very few who are truly enlightened." He turned back to the priest, eyes narrowing and all mirth vanishing. "There is no demon's pact, and nothing asked for the gifts which will be bestowed, save what any other might demand of their followers."

The priest thought for a moment, trying to fit this all into terms he was familiar with. "Oh! You are emissaries of a new god who has arisen to save us! And you have chosen to contact me? Oh. Oh my."

 _You were conveniently nearby,_ rose to mind at the man's sudden enthusiasm, but Alistair refrained as he merely smiled and nodded. "Just as you say, and as I had already mentioned in terms of an emissary upon this mortal plane." He looked pointedly in Vanessa's direction. "Her."

Vanessa smiled at him sweetly. The priest said, "Oh, yes, of course, milady. Of course, of course. What would be required of me?"

"You will resume services, first and foremost," Alistair replied firmly, a faint scowl turning his brow. "There will be no more faithless wailings, and you will do your utmost to make certain that the flock you, and I assume your fellows, have neglected so badly recently. There may be minor adjustments to the religious requirements, but that will require reviewing them as they are and choosing accordingly."

"For now, leave them as they are, save that, and this is _not_ to be disobeyed save in cases of healing being needed, no child shall receive communion until they are of proper age." It wouldn't do for them to remain forever children, after all, what a nightmare! "Beyond that, we will require the identity of the supplier of the church's sacramental wine, that arrangements may be made for it to be properly blessed."

The priest turned to Vanessa, his expression admirably grave as he knelt, "Is there anything else you would command of your faithful servants, Exalted One?"

Vanessa was not really comfortable with _him_ kneeling to her, but she concealed it well. "That should be sufficient at this time," Vanessa replied smoothly.

The priest said, "Yes, yes, we import all our wine from the vineyards of planet Balzac. We only use pure, genuine wine, not replicated."

Alistair nodded once, then stood, and turned back to the priest with a nod. "We will see that all of your wine is properly blessed before going to see to the source, that you may hold it for your own flock or share it among your brethren and renew their faith and surety of their reward in _this_ life."

"Yes, thank you sir, and thank you, milady. I shall be certain to resume mass for this Saturday, have no doubt, I shall be faithful!" he assured them.

"Excellent, now leave us," Alistair said, then turned away from the man and gestured courteously for Vanessa to enter the storage room.

The man scrambled off to make announcements and preparations eagerly. Vanessa grinned faintly as he went and followed Alistair in. "This almost seems too easy," she tepped to him.

"There are... details which will need to be seen to," Alistair replied and began 'blessing' the bottles systematically, offering a brief apologetic smile as her vitae was taken. "This is your gift, childe, and it will require some small sacrifice to begin. Upon Balzac, well, then may we attend to embracing a sufficient number of childer to be staked and sustained, used to consecrate their wine."

Vanessa didn't mind too much, looking over the wine thoughtfully, and thought that they probably have more alcohol in here than the nightclub generally kept on hand! "Balzac, how ironic, that's where my grandmother Kalli was born..."

"I think we'll keep this between thee and me," Alistair tepped dryly. "Once the populace is well and truly bound to you there's not much they can really do, unless they wish to risk the world or worlds affected going into a frenzy."

He grinned unpleasantly at that, a deadman's switch of sorts that they'd be very hard-pressed to counter. A ghoul must be fed regularly, or they would not only lose the benefits of it but there was a good chance they'd devolve to a berserk rage. 

Vanessa nodded, grinning faintly. "Oh, yes. I'd like to see what Jenna and Sharra think they might do about it once it's fully in place..."

"Or whether they should at all," Alistair replied scornfully. "A project of this magnitude would _never_ be considered in my own home. Imagine a population that will never sicken, grow old, or die, so long as they are maintained. Stronger than normal men, and utterly loyal to their regent, you. This world will be better by far for it, and with other changes..." he trailed off thoughtfully, finishing the last few bottles.

Vanessa laughed softly with perverse delight. It was just oh so very delicious...

Alistair sampled the colors of emotion in her aura and smiled. "Come, let's leave the old priest to renew his faith and look toward the next step." He headed back out of the church.

Vanessa nodded and headed out along with him. She had to wonder if there _were_ any other vampires around the galaxy at all.

That thought wouldn't really bother him, once things were well and truly emplaced there would be little that any other vampire could do about it. They wouldn't even be able to _feed_ on any of the Primos or they'd end up getting blood bound to Vanessa, and only she could prove the undoing of it. He would need to make other arrangements for his own feeding, he mused dryly. Simple enough to find some non-Primos, of course. Glyphans, Cybions, Death Dancers, general heathens...

Alistair traced the path back to the club in quiet thought, then stopped just before it to tep to her, "Continue onward this night, or return and at least await your sister's departure? Preparations on Balzac may take some time, after all."

Vanessa didn't see any particular need to rush, but she did think it prudent to get things in place before anyone inclined to stop them can figure out what was going on and do so, now that things had been set into motion at least on a small scale.

"The execution will be swift enough, no fear," Alistair reassured her. "Though what can you tell me of Balzac? Specifically, would it be simplest to find your childer-to-be here, or do they possess a sufficient population that it may be attended there?"

"It's primarily a farm planet that supplied food to Primo worlds with genetically engineered crops, but there was always at least one reasonably-sized city there. Its population grew during the Rebellion, however, as it was under rebel control for much of that period and frequently used as a base of operations."

"We will require a medical facility in addition to dealing with the wineries in question," Alistair mused. "It may prove less obvious and difficult to locate early on by procuring subjects for embrace here, bind them, and carry them along with us."

Vanessa nodded faintly. "There's medical facilities in Balzac Port City, yeah." She glanced over toward the club entrance thoughtfully.

"Performing activities such as this near your own haven is unwise," Alistair tepped with quiet amusement. "There are certainly other clubs that would prove... adequate to the task. Something low-key and lower class, that a night's disappearance would cause no more than a ripple."

"Oh, no, that's not what I was thinking," Vanessa replied. "I was thinking, only practicing Primos take communion. That doesn't include Cybions, Glyphans, Euphorians, Death Dancers, and the like."

"I believe some doctrine changes will be in order," Alistair replied, "Ones which would encourage others to join the faithful, though I suspect that the rumors and subtle advertising as to the proven effects of the 'miracle' will draw far more than might else be expected. Some will join for the added strength provided, others for the self-healing properties... Primo may be an inadequate term for what will be."

"It would be enough for the Euphorians and Glyphans, perhaps. The Death Dancers, of course, are extremely stubborn, and many of them are also Cybions, and the Cybions would have no real need for it, having all that available already through other means."

Alistair shrugged. "You might be surprised." He grinned faintly. "Particularly as it wouldn't be too terribly difficult to have rumors of other abilities available through the blessing of the blood and proper teaching. Ghouls can learn far more than the first draught provides them, but they must be taught."

"Perhaps," Vanessa replied, heading off down the street to see about finding a suitable location. Even if they didn't get everyone, they'd certainly get _enough_ , she figured.

"And don't forget that the point to this exercise is to control the Primo world," Alistair pointed out, strolling casually after her. "Anyone else is strictly a bonus, though I am quite certain that discreet offers to those who avoid it, perhaps even so far as to embrace, will garner far more than you might suspect."

"Mmm. Certainly..." They came past another club, playing terrible Glyphan music like they had first encountered in Janet's, and Vanessa sighed and rolled her eyes again. "Why do so many of them seem to think that this raucous noise is 'music'?"

"For the same reason a pile of excrement is 'art'," Alistair replied disdainfully, "Execrable taste. Shall we show them the error of their ways, my dear?"

"Definitely," she tepped, turning to head inside.

It was populated by your dregs of society, maybe even worse than the crowd Janet's had attracted before they showed up. Alistair would dominate whoever was watching the door to abandon their duty, close the door, and take a seat at the bar. Waste not, want not. The large man did as he was directed promptly. Vanessa glanced around the place critically and fairly disdainfully. They were so pitiful sometimes. The things they'd do to fail to draw attention to themselves.

Alistair rubbed his temple. "See what you can do to cease this racket, would you? I will provide a rousing speech for the witless sheep and urge them to remain calm, then may the night's work continue."

Vanessa nodded in wholehearted agreement and headed into the sound room. After several minutes and one corpse later, the music mercifully stopped.

"Ladies and gentleman," Alistair began on a sardonic note as the noise from the system stopped, cutting across the indignant and confused babble with an orator's practiced ease... and a healthy dose of heavy Speech, "Please remain calm, be seated, and cooperate with my lovely assistant when she approaches you. Life, as you know it, is now over."

This would generally not be a particularly calming thing to say to somebody, but most of them listened and sat down, if a little confused.

Vanessa came out of the sound room and tepped to Alistair, "He didn't feel like cooperating very well."

Alistair would attend personally to those who didn't fall under the category of 'most', being much more brief and to the point. "Sit down, now." He answered her dryly, "The kine can be such nuisances at times. Choose your first wisely to avoid intoxication as much as possible while you replenish your own vitae. Thereafter their life may be drained out by less personal means and merely gifted with your blood."

Layman's terms... slit their throats, then feed them. Such a charming approach, but effective. Vanessa gave a mental acknowledgement and picked one at random who looks sober, and set about to work on him.

One of the patrons demanded, "What the hell is going on here?"

"You are about to make a contribution to the Primos," Alistair replied absently, summoning the energies of the ritual he'd used before to add to her blood's potency for a time... she'd probably be grateful he hadn't thought, or just hadn't, used it for himself before her own embrace! "Do be a good little sheep and stay quiet while she attends to matters."

To think that, a month prior, she would have never considered such a thing as she was doing now, but now she considered it perfectly natural. She didn't spare it much thought, however, as she finished draining the first one and proceeded to give him of her blood.

The ritual finished, Alistair walked slowly among those gathered, looking them over one by one for no definable reason. In truth, he was quite pleased with the speed that Vanessa had adapted to the realities of her changed situation, and seemed to be gaining a quite suitable grasp on some of the subtleties involved. There was still a great deal for him to bestow on her, but thus far he was satisfied.

Time may pass as needed, he would continue his quiet patrol and rein in any who looked to be stirring from their acceptance or any new childe that looked to do anything more than they'd been commanded before their death.

Vanessa systematically got to them one by one. There were twenty of them in here at the moment. Well, nineteen, if you didn't count the moron in the sound room.

Nineteen, hmm. Alistair considered it and finally nodded in satisfaction, that should prove ample enough for the task since the required amounts weren't that vast to taint a considerable amount of wine. And best of all, they could be transferred to their new home under their own power and be staked upon arrival, the blood bond would see to that obedience at least until the last.

Some while later, Vanessa finished up with them and went back over toward the front to look them over. They were fairly confused at the moment, but at least they weren't trying to do anything too stupid at the moment.

"They are wholly yours now," Alistair tepped, "Soul bound by blood, they will follow your every whim, dream of doing nothing beyond your smallest desire, and beyond the lesser capabilities of the ghouled woman back at our haven. They will walk willingly to their final rest and only then _might_ they resist, though the chance is small at best."

Vanessa thought that over for a moment and grinned broadly. "How lovely," she replied. She did have to wonder how one might explain away the sudden disappearance of everyone in the club.

Alistair chuckled, picking up on that. "Have you truly looked at this establishment's clientele, childe? Now consider what a truly out of control party might lead to, they'll likely just be glad that there was only one death when the club burned to the ground."

"Mmm. Yes, I see your point. Should be most unfortunate. I doubt that they will be much missed, regardless. Tsk."

"Hence why I suggested as I did," Alistair agreed. "The downtrodden and indigent are rarely noticed, much less missed. Take your children and escort them home, I will see to the details here." There were a few rituals that dealt with fire, and it would be simple indeed to arrange and vanish beneath the cloak of Celerity.

Vanessa acknowledged that quietly and proceeded to herd the confused fledgling vampires out of the building. They filed on out of the club along with her without protest.

Alistair waited for them to leave, then a few minutes more to make certain they'd be nowhere near when emergency services arrived, taking advantage of the time to prepare the ritual near the bar itself. He stepped away as the circle was finished, examined it a moment carefully, then invoked the binding to begin the spark. Flame sputtered near the center, then traveled outward, remaining within the circle for a half minute or so.

He watched it until that point, hardening his own control of the Beast against its natural enemy, then blurred from the scene as the glyph's full fury erupted. Alcohol fueled the flames, but it wasn't really necessary as the unnaturally hot fires would surge and continue to burn for a good ten or fifteen minutes, defying any methods to quench them within the circle's influence.

A flying firetruck (or a reasonable facsimile thereof) was quick to arrive and extinguish the flames before they could spread to other buildings and investigate the scene as best as they could. By that point Vanessa had gotten the others back to Janet's without further incident.

Alistair was whistling lightly as he returned to the club and took a moment on entering to appreciate the differences that were blindingly evident here... especially now that the Glyphan noise had been replaced with something at least somewhat more suitable. He would also make sure that Emily had indeed been watched over in their absence.

Emily looked over to him and smiled drunkenly. "Hi there again... I'm durnk.. I think I'll go to my ship to sleep it off before I do something stupid."

"Please," Alistair replied. "Accept our hospitality for the night, or at the very least accept an escort that nothing may befall you along the way. I would be most remiss in as a gentleman were I to allow anything to bring you distress."

"Eh, sure. Say, you're a right handsome fellow..." Emily said, grinning in a silly manner.

Alistair smiled bemusedly. "Even in your cups, you remain a cheerful example of the line, dear lady. Come." He offered his arm. "Allow me to guide you."

Emily giggled a bit and took his arm and let him take her off. Alistair did so and made sure that she was made as comfortable as might be wished. Extending courtesy to 'family' was one of the few decent aspects remaining to his mindset, and she fell neatly within that domain and remained there in her refusal to instantly condemn them. The others... hmm, perhaps another day.

"Mmm. Good night, kind sir." Emily got settled in and dozed off restfully.

"Fair rest and sweet dreams, fair lady," Alistair murmured with a quirk of his lips and a bow, then went to check upon his childe and her own temporary childer. Preposterous! Any Kindred would slay their own childe before allowing this! He chuckled inwardly, wondering who, precisely, was going to dictate to Toreador in this land.

Vanessa was nearby, having gathered them into a decent-sized room in the basement and was currently making sure they behaved nicely for the moment.

Alistair entered and examined his grandchilder thoughtfully. "Any difficulties?" he tepped to Vanessa. "I should expect not, but particularly strong-willed individuals have been known to resist the blood bond... if only briefly."

"I would not refer to these as particularly strong-willed, and would apply the term individuals to them only as a technicality," Vanessa replied dryly.

Alistair chuckled lightly. "A point to you. At any rate, your sister is settled safely nearby, it would be best I think for her to be unaware of this night's venture and its outcome. They should be fine here, and may be sealed in until convenient."

Vanessa nods. "I don't think anyone is using this room for anything else at the moment. Heh. She did look pretty drunk when I came in..."

"Quite," Alistair agreed with bland amusement, then turned his attention to the new vamps and reinforced his words with Speech. "Remain here until you are summoned, now sleep."

The young vampires agreed quietly and settled in for sleep. Vanessa headed out into the hallway, closing and locking the door behind them.

"A profitable night's work," Alistair commented. "And by my calculations the deal will be wholly sealed within a month, other than the elements who pay no tribute to the former Primo theological ideal."

"And if all goes well, by the time anyone notices, it'll be too late to do anything about it... Wonderful," Vanessa replied with a wicked grin.

"Indeed." Alistair nodded more cautiously. "And while paranoia is indeed inherent, I can see no clear avenue by which any might seek to intervene. The endeavor will be quiet and brought to fruition wholly at the hands of the priests, and I would find it highly unlikely anyone would inquire too far into their internal affairs."

Vanessa assured herself to make certain of anything that could possibly go wrong and account for it. But for the moment, dawn approached, and she headed off to sleep herself.

"Rest well, childe."

Alistair bid her good night and retired to his own chamber for the day, turning the plan round and round in his mind to examine it from all angles. It was so simple, that was likely what left him endlessly intent upon it, the very few players involved that might draw any suspicion would pass like smoke to their duties... he left it at last and drifted into slumber.

Emily woke in the afternoon and decides to head off without further ado, returning to her ship quietly without bothering with anything here further. The day passed without further incident and Vanessa wakes come sunset.

Alistair stirred with the setting sun and prepared himself for the night ahead, emerging a short time later to head off and check on the fledglings.

Vanessa joined him momentarily. The new vampires were sitting around patiently awaiting orders while discussing music and fashion trends. Thankfully it did not appear that any of them were inclined to recite poetry involving their souls being miasmas of darkness.

That was very much to the good, as Alistair would likely be quite willing to show them the true meaning of it with a particularly nasty ritual or two. He nodded to Vanessa as she appeared. "Ready for the next step?"

Vanessa replied affirmatively as she glanced them over casually.

"Let's herd our sheep onward to their new home, then," Alistair replied dryly and went to begin doing so. It would doubtless be a bit crowded on the trip there in the back of her ship, but he wasn't particularly concerned about their comfort.

Vanessa helped herd them out and led them down the street to the landing area. They were perfectly happy to come along, whilst arguing the virtues of orange hair over green. Vanessa just rolled her eyes a bit and didn't really care what they were nattering about. Alistair was reminded of the eternal chatter that the degenerates of his own clan were fond of, arguing one useless point of decor and trivia or another, and was quite happy when the young vampires were securely stowed away for transit.

"If we didn't require them," he muttered. "I'd be tempted to kill a few just for an example of the virtues of silence."

"Are there a lot of them like this where you come from?" Vanessa wondered as she got the ship powered up for travel. Janet could handle things well enough on her own for the interim, she figured, it wasn't like she needed to be constantly looked over.

"You have _no_ idea," Alistair replied dryly. "Which is unfortunately largely due to the candidates my clan tends to choose for their childer, as we are artisans of one flavor or another as a whole. You can imagine the flaky personalities that emerge from that in modern times."

Perhaps part of his own inclination to embrace outside the normal parameters, Caine knew they needed some reliable blood!

"I'll be quite glad I don't have to deal with them on a regular basis, then," Vanessa replied.

She made sure the ship was sealed up and took off, setting in a course through the jump gate network to Balzac.

"Yes, I think you'll be far happier here," Alistair replied, chuckling faintly. "Beyond your far larger than normal domain, that is. I do hope you realize that you have and are in the process of acquiring something very rare, no, unique among the Kindred circles."

Vanessa gave a faint grin and replied, "I don't doubt that. It's so simple it seems like madness. But I've never known of any other vampires here. Well, unless some rumors about the Urians can be believed, of course, but if you believe rumors, the Urians do any number of absurd things."

Alistair smiled faintly. "The Urians do not overly concern me, I am quite familiar in dealing with the far more complex circles of Kindred maneuvers elsewhere. Raw power does not overly impress me either, for it is so readily turned back upon its summoner by one who is sufficiently skilled." He shrugged lightly, truly not greatly worried at the moment, and settled in for the trip.

As Vanessa worked her way through the jump gate network absently, she decided to see if she could pull up some information using the ship's console from the cybernet on these supposed great powers Kalli had obtained. Finding one file, she played it on the small screen underneath the viewscreen on the console, and it proceeded to display how Kalli defeated the greater demon that the Urians had summoned.

Vanessa blinked and thought, "I would hope so."

Alistair studied the report with some interest, but doesn't seem particularly perturbed by anything listed there. "Be at ease," he reassured her, "I would be far more wary of the power turned against the demon than I would of the creature itself. The means to summon such beasts is fairly readily unraveled, and your grandmother..." He chuckled, leaning back in his seat. "They will have no reason to interfere, soon enough."

Vanessa agreed with that assessment, having not been so much concerned about the demon as seeing her grandmother, who was never really the greatest psychic about, throwing around power of that magnitude. Traffic wasn't bad right now, and they shortly arrived in the Balzac system.

"First will be to see to the winery, I think," Alistair mused as they landed. "Our cargo can damned well stay where it is for now while we look into it."

Vanessa concurred wholeheartedly. As it was afternoon in the Port Town, she brought them down at one of the outlying facilities, more useful regardless as the vineyards were hardly in the city itself.


End file.
